AIM:
Avon Need Trees fundraises to buy land to create woodlands that will stand for generations as part of a mosaic of habitats including species-rich grasslands, wetlands, hedgerows, existing woodland and riparian corridors.
LOCATION:
The Bristol-Avon River Catchment
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
Lower Chew Forest will be the largest new woodland in the South West in a generation. A 422 acre woodland project between Bristol and Bath and our biggest yet. The vision is to create a resilient woodland and complementary habitat site, which will bring a multitude of benefits to nature and local communities. Lower Chew Forest will be a regional exemplar hub. It will help tackle the climate emergency, improve biodiversity and reduce local flooding. It will support the green economy and provide an accessible and inclusive place for people to volunteer, learn, and stay. Local communities are a key part of the plans. It will be a woodland powered by people, for people. GreenTheUK and Avon Needs Trees need volunteers to help make this a reality.
ABOUT AVON NEEDS TREES:
Since forming in 2019, ANT has bought four sites - two in Wiltshire and two in the Chew Valley, totalling over 550 acres of land. In early 2024, ANT achieved their biggest land purchase yet: a 422-acre site at Wick Farm between Bristol and Bath. Over the next few years, this will be transformed into the Lower Chew Forest, the South West’s largest new woodland in a generation.
The woodlands deliver a range of benefits from locking up carbon and boosting local biodiversity, to providing natural flood management and publicly accessible green space.
Avon Needs Trees is community driven, with over a thousand local volunteers getting involved with tree planting and aftercare each year. Work with communities focuses on engaging and empowering children, young people and communities most impacted by future climate change.
