Red Rose Forest facts for kids
Red Rose Forest was an important project that helped plant trees and create green spaces in Greater Manchester, England. It's now known as City of Trees, after changing its name in 2016. This charity is part of a bigger group of "community forests" across England. Their main goal is to make urban areas greener and better places to live.
The Red Rose Forest project started in 1991. It was one of 12 community forests set up across England. In 1994, the government approved their plan to help improve the environment, economy, and social life around towns and cities. They did this by getting local people involved in planting and protecting woodlands. When it first started, about 2.5 million people lived within the forest's area, making it the largest urban community forest in the UK.
The main idea behind Red Rose Forest was to bring nature closer to people. This meant planting trees on streets, creating green roofs on buildings, and making more green spaces. Their "Green Streets" team worked with local groups to make city areas nicer and healthier. Adding green areas can help with many social, health, and money-related issues. Red Rose Forest encouraged everyone to get involved: individuals could join the "Friends of the Forest" scheme, businesses could offer support, and communities could take part in the "Green Streets" projects.
Where the Trees Grow: The Forest Area
The area covered by Red Rose Forest was quite large, about 756 square kilometers (292 square miles). It included several parts of Greater Manchester, like Manchester city, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Trafford, and Wigan.
Today, about 1.5 million people live within this green space. This still makes it one of the biggest urban community forests in the United Kingdom.
Planting Trees: A Big Goal
The project had a huge goal: to plant 25 million trees over 40 years! Planting new trees in a woodland area costs about £7 to £10 per tree. However, planting a tree in a city can be much more expensive, around £300 per tree. By 2007, the project had already planted trees across 1,183 hectares (about 2,923 acres) of land. That's a lot of new trees helping our environment!
Working Together: Our Partners
Red Rose Forest, and now City of Trees, works with many different groups to achieve its goals. These partnerships are very important for planting trees and creating green spaces.
Some of the main groups that help include:
- The Countryside Agency
- The Forestry Commission
- Local councils like Bolton Council, Bury Council, Trafford Council, Wigan Council, Manchester City Council, and Salford City Council.
They also work with many other partners, such as:
- Local businesses
- Landowners
- Environmental groups like the RSPB, Woodland Trust, and BTCV
- Countryside Services
- Schools
- Individuals
- Local communities
Everyone working together helps make Greater Manchester a greener and healthier place for all.
