1:17pm Monday 28th July 2008
By Alexandra Barham
SANDRIDGE could soon become home to the UK's largest native woodland, a conservationist charity announced today.
Woodland Trust are planning to buy 850 acres of farmland and plant more than 600,000 native trees in the village between St Albans and Harpenden - creating a forest bigger than London’s 2012 Olympic Park.
The Trust says a new native forest of this size has never been created in England before with the first shrubs set to be planted this winter.
Sue Holden, trust’s chief executive, said: “We have been searching for some time for a major site to buy in the south east. “Our plans for the new forest at Sandridge are truly historic in scale and offer an unmissable opportunity to plant such a huge number of trees and benefit so many people.”
A campaign is now underway to raise £8.5million needed for land purchase, tree planting and management costs for the first five years.
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