It’s taken three years, thousands of hands and a fair bit of patience, but the job is finally done.
At Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, the last of more than 9,000 trees have been planted as part of the Silk Wood Community Planting Project — an effort that has quietly reshaped a stretch of woodland affected by ash dieback.
On paper, it’s a restoration scheme. In practice, it’s been something far more involved.
Led by Forestry England, the project has drawn in over 4,000 people from more than 50 community groups. Schoolchildren, charities, volunteers — all have had a hand in turning what could have been a straightforward replanting exercise into something with a bit more depth.
Among them, Cam Everlands Primary School has played a notable role. Pupils didn’t just help with planting; they helped shape the woodland itself. A design created by former pupil Emily was selected and incorporated into the final layout — a detail that gives the project a sense of ownership that can’t be manufactured.
“I’ve really enjoyed seeing the design come to life,” she said during a recent planting event marking the project’s completion.
For the school, involvement hasn’t been a one-off. Over the past three years, pupils have returned regularly, planting and maintaining trees while watching the site gradually take shape.
Teacher Mrs Brunet-Lua described it as a rare opportunity for children to be part of something lasting. “We’ve enjoyed watching the area develop and can’t wait to see how it grows,” she said.
The planting itself reflects a changing landscape. Alongside native species such as oak, field maple and small-leaved lime sit more climate-tolerant trees like Italian alder — a pragmatic choice as conditions shift.
But the real story sits just as much with the people as the trees. The project has doubled as a space for learning and wellbeing, with sessions on everything from measuring tree height to nature journalling. For some groups, particularly those linked to mental health support, time spent outdoors has been as valuable as the work itself.
Project manager Oscar Adams said the wider impact had been clear from the outset.
“It’s been about far more than getting trees in the ground,” he said. “It’s about giving people the chance to learn new skills and feel part of the future of this woodland.”
That sense of continuity is reflected in the figures. More than 90 per cent of the saplings have survived — comfortably above the industry standard — thanks in no small part to volunteers returning year after year to tend them.
Support for the project has come from organisations including The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum, helping to sustain what has become one of the arboretum’s most significant planting efforts in recent years.
Now, with the final trees in place, the focus turns to the long view. Woodland doesn’t change overnight, and neither does the relationship people have with it.
But in Silk Wood, both are now firmly taking root.
