Mersey Forest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mersey Forest |
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Looking across the Mersey Forest towards Billinge Hill
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| Map | |
 Location in Merseyside
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| Geography | |
| Location | Merseyside, England |
| Coordinates | 53°22′N 2°48′W / 53.367°N 2.800°W |
| Administration | |
| Status | Community Forest |
The Mersey Forest is a special project that creates new woodlands and green spaces across Merseyside and North Cheshire in England. It's not one big forest, but a network of many different green areas. Many groups work together to make this happen, including local councils, community groups, and businesses.
The Mersey Forest is the largest of twelve similar projects called community forests in England. It covers a huge area of about 1,088 square kilometers (420 square miles). This means it helps improve the environment for about 1.6 million people who live nearby.
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What is the Mersey Forest?
The Mersey Forest is a large project that aims to plant more trees and create green spaces near cities and towns. It helps make the environment better for people and wildlife. The forest stretches from Sefton in the north, near Liverpool, all the way south to Northwich in Cheshire. One of the biggest existing woodlands in this area is Delamere Forest.
More Than Just Trees: A Community Effort
The Mersey Forest is not like a traditional, unbroken forest you might imagine. Instead, it's a plan to increase the number of trees and green areas in places where many people live. This helps bring nature closer to urban communities. The project also helps attract new businesses and tourists to the area, showing how important green spaces are for local economies.
Griffin Wood: A Real-Life Example
A great example of the Mersey Forest's work is Griffin Wood. You can easily see this woodland from the M62 motorway if you are driving just south of St. Helens. This particular woodland was planted in 2007. Part of it, called Scott's Copse, was planted to honor the hard work of a person named David Scott.
How Does the Mersey Forest Help the Environment?
One way the Mersey Forest helps the environment is by working with Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Passengers flying from this airport can choose to "offset" the carbon their flight produces. This means they pay a small amount of money to balance out the carbon emissions. The airport then matches this money. All the funds collected are used by the Mersey Forest to plant new trees. Planting trees helps to absorb carbon dioxide from the air, which is good for fighting climate change.
Connecting to a Bigger Picture: The Northern Forest
The Mersey Forest is also part of an even bigger plan called the Northern Forest. This proposed project aims to create a massive forest across the north of England, connecting many existing woodlands and planting millions of new trees. The Mersey Forest plays an important role in this larger vision for a greener future.
