WHAT IS THE KNUTSFORD NATURE ACTION PLAN?

The Knutsford Nature Action Plan was adopted  in March 2020 as part of our commitment to tackling climate change and improving the town’s biodiversity and natural habitats. It was developed with advice from Cheshire Wildlife Trust and the lead resident from the Environment and Open Spaces group of the Neighbourhood Plan who we asked the question – what can Knutsford do for nature?

We have set aside a significant budget to help us achieve these missions, but we need the support of community groups and residents to really be successful.

OUR THREE MISSIONS

PLANT A TREE FOR EVERY RESIDENT

We will oversee Knutsford planting 13,000 trees by 2024 - some by us, some by you.

INCREASE WILDLIFE FRIENDLY PLANTING

We will lead projects to increase the amount of wildlife friendly planting in Knutsford

IMPROVE BIODIVERSITY & CONNECT GREEN CORRIDORS

We will increase the range of habitats and connect green corridors

OUR PLAN OF ACTION

WHAT WE’VE DONE

  • Identified potential tree planting locations across the town
  • Identified verges for planting schemes
  • Identified open spaces where hedges can replace fencing
  • Written to Cheshire East Council urging permission to be given for tree planting on highway verges
  • Starting writing to planning applicants to encourage tree planting / replacement planting
  • Launched a Tree Planting Mission
  • Sown a Cheshire wildflower meadow on the Barncroft
  • Installed a bug hotel at Walllwood and Higher Town Green
  • Installed bat and bird boxes on our open spaces
  • Organised an annual bulb planting programme

WHAT WE’LL DO

  • Launch a campaign to promote hedgehog holes
  • Work with landowners to create a wildlife corridor from Bluebell Wood to the Heath
  • Work with landowners to create a wildlife corridor from St John’s Wood to Booths Mere
  • Identify ponds for planting improvement schemes
  • Encourage landowners to plant trees and hedges to connect wildlife corridors

LET’S PLANT 13,000 TREES

Yes, 13,000. That’s a lot of trees, in fact after around 10 years that is enough to absorb 283 tones of CO2 from the atmosphere every year whilst and releasing enough oxygen to support 26,000 humans. We know its ambitious, but what an incredible achievement it will be and how great will Knutsford be?

WHAT WE WILL DO

We have mapped the town and identified areas to plant 6,863 trees over the next three years. 260 of these will be young trees around 2m tall and provide an instant impact. The rest will be small whips which will take some time to get established.

We will be planting these trees with support from the community at a number of tree planting days.

OUR TREE PLANTING PLAN

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We cannot achieve the target without your help and we are calling on all residents to support our mission.

You can help by planting trees in your garden and registering these with us by completing the form below. We’ve produced a tree planting guide to help you select the right tree, learn how to give it the best start in life and where is best locally to get good trees from.

YOUR TREE PLANTING GUIDE

HOW MANY TREES HAS KNUTSFORD PLANTED?

Each tree represents 1000 trees, as more are planted the leaves will grow. To date, the Town Council has planted 1,471 trees in the town.

13 tree graphics, 1 and a half have leaves denoting 1471 trees have been planted.