Severn Trent has now reached an exciting milestone in its project to plant 72 Tiny Forest across the West Midlands.

Over 10,000 trees have been planted with the support of Earthwatch Europe across 17 community groups and school sites, including locations in Walsall, Lichfield, West Bromwich and Birmingham over the first three weeks of planting.

Further sites are set to be planted in Dudley, Wolverhampton, Coventry & Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Hinckley over the next few weeks. Severn Trent’s Forest Delivery Manager, Ricky Dallow, said: 

“To have planted 10,000 trees across 17 sites in our first three weeks is a fantastic milestone and really shows the scale of the project and the impact that these Tiny Forests will have across the region.

“We all know how important access to green space is for our health and wellbeing and as a company that takes care of one of life’s essentials, we’re really passionate about making a positive impact on the communities and the environment where we live and work and we have no doubt that these small but mighty Tiny Forests are going to be a real asset to the West Midlands.”

As Birmingham 2022’s Official Nature & Carbon Neutral Supporter, Severn Trent is creating 72 tennis-court-sized Tiny Forests across the region, one for each of the nations and territories competing in the Games. The sites will help to deliver a lasting legacy for Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as well as boosting access to green space in urban areas, supporting environmental education and increasing regional resilience against environmental issues such as flooding, heat stress and nature loss.   

Earthwatch Europe, the environmental charity pioneering the Tiny Forest movement in the UK, is supporting Severn Trent in the delivery of the Tiny Forests, which can attract over 500 animal and plant species within the first three years of planting. Hannah Davidson, Tiny Forest Programme Manager at Earthwatch added:

“We are delighted to be working with Severn Trent to connect so many local communities across the West Midlands with nature.”

The trees planted will also form part of The Queen’s Green Canopy, a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee in 2022 which invites people from across the UK to "Plant a Tree for the Jubilee".

Seven Trent's Tiny Forests are being marked on the interactive QGC Map, joining the growing network of Jubilee trees across the nation.  Information on volunteering for upcoming community planting days across the region can be found here.