News

• 2,400 trees set to be planted across four sites 

• Sites to play an important role in leaving an environmental legacy following Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games  

• Local community encouraged to sign up to volunteer at planting days

 Volunteers from the local community are being encouraged to join forces with Severn Trent and Dudley Council to plant four Tiny Forests across Dudley and Stourbridge in celebration of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. 

The sites at Quarry Park in Gornal, Netherton Park, Bank Street in Brierley Hill, as well as Junction Road in Stourbridge, will be planted as part of Severn Trent’s plan to create 72 Tiny Forests across the West Midlands region as part of their partnership with the games.

As Birmingham 2022’s Official Nature & Carbon Neutral Supporter, Severn Trent, supported by environmental charity Earthwatch Europe, is creating 72 tennis-court-sized Tiny Forests to boost access to green space in urban areas and increase regional resilience against environmental issues such as flooding, heat stress and nature loss.  

Severn Trent’s Forest Delivery Manager, Ricky Dallow, said: “It’ll be fantastic to be in Dudley and Stourbridge and play a role in 2,400 trees being planted across four sites.The sense of achievement as we work our way across the region planting these Tiny Forests is incredible and we’d encourage any locals who’d like to come to one of the sites and help plant a few trees to sign up.  

“As a company that takes care of one of life’s essentials, we’re committed to making a positive impact on the communities and the environment where we live and work and these small but mighty Tiny Forests are set to become a real asset to the region as well as playing a key role in the legacy of the Games.” 

Dudley Council’s cabinet member for public realm, Karen Shakespeare, said: “As an authority we’ve already committed to investing £50,000 to boost the borough’s canopy coverage, so to be involved with additional projects like Tiny Forests is just fantastic as it means our residents and our environment will benefit from even more tree planting. 

“We’re so pleased to be working with Severn Trent and community volunteers to create five new Tiny Forests with and for our communities. We hope that people come along and join us this half-term week, creating a forest for our shared futures.”

Environmental charity, Earthwatch Europe, will be supporting Severn Trent in the delivery of the Tiny Forests, which will see 600 native trees planted densely in each tennis court sized plot of land, helping to maximise the biodiversity benefits per square metre of land.   

The Queen’s Green Canopy, a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee in 2022, will also benefit from the project, with the trees planted all contributing to the Queen’s Green Canopy map.  

Further information on volunteering for upcoming planting days in Dudley and Stourbridge can be found here.