AN environmental charity has been busy working at a woodland in Liskeard – helping to restore it back to its former glory as a temperate rainforest.

On March 17, Phill Sturgeon, chair of Protect Earth, was joined by a work party in the woodland located just outside of the town to continue the restoration project.

The party spent the day replacing tree guards and checking on the saplings that were planted last winter.

Phil explained: “We're confident their survival rate is above 80 per cent, which is what we're aiming for, but we've had to replace a lot of the guards as the cardboard ones don't last so long.”

Protect Earth
The new saplings are thriving in the woodland. (Picture: Rachel Mary Brooks) (Rachel Mary Brooks)

To help the wildlife that live within the woodland, volunteers installed dormouse boxes and new oak benches that were provided by the Lottery Heritage Fund so people can enjoy a sit in the woodland.

The group also successfully installed a set of stairs which will feature as part of an area being made for a local forest school to utilise in the near future.

Protect Earth
The new natural staircase ( )

The restoration project began in 2022 when the forest was handed over to the charity. Volunteers worked to complete a regenerative thinning process called ‘continuous cover forestry’ of the trees in the woodland, which were previously used for timber production, to make way for native trees such as oak and silver birch.

Since then, volunteers have been using sustainable forestry methods to restore the woodland with the hope that the natural regeneration of the area will begin to thrive.

Phil continued: “This was the first of our regular monthly work parties, where there will always be something going on each month, next one is April 20.”

Protect Earth has planted more than 38,580 trees and restored 48 acres across the UK. Their aim is: “We aim to plant, and help people plant, as many trees as possible in the UK to help mitigate the climate crisis.”

This process at High Wood is one part of a much larger project that Protect Earth is completing. They hope to expand internationally, helping to preserve the environment all over the world to ensure a healthier future for the planet.