Norfolk County Council is accelerating towards 1 million trees with a 40,000-strong boost.
In the coming winter, the village of Wiggenhall St Germans in the far west of Norfolk will see 15.5 hectares of new woodland, with approximately 26 times more trees planted than there currently are residents of the village itself.
The parish of Wiggenhall St Germans also covers hamlets like Wiggenhall St Mary the Virgin and Wiggenhall St Peter, as well as the settlements of Saddlebow and Eau Brink.
Work on the planting process has recently begun, and is set to conclude in or shortly after the summer of 2026. Public access will be available from Spring of 2026 onwards, thanks to carefully plotted paths.
The new woodland will feature a range of different tree types, some native and some fruiting. They will be including oak, hornbeam, birch, alder, hazel, hawthorn, field maple, wild cherry, crab apple, willow, lime, walnut, and sycamore trees.
Funding for this project is not coming from local council taxes, but instead from the England Woodland Creation Offer. This programme is there to supports the establishment of new woodlands and is administered by the Forestry Commission.
Cllr James Bensly, cabinet member for environment and waste at Norfolk County Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see another exciting season of tree planting under way.
“The creation of a new woodland at Wiggenhall St Germans will not only help us towards our goal of one million trees for Norfolk, but it will also create a space for residents and visitors to enjoy for generations to come.
“We’ve already planted more than 600,000 trees and hedge plants since the project began in 2020, with much more planned for this season – a huge step towards that ambition.”
Local county councillor, Brian Long, said: “It’s great to see this kind of investment in our local area. The new woodland at Wiggenhall St Germans will bring real benefits – not just for wildlife, but for residents too.
“It’ll create a peaceful space for people to enjoy and add to the natural character of the parish. I’m pleased to see the county council supporting projects that make a positive difference on the ground-and it’s even better to know this forms part of the wider 1 million trees for Norfolk ambition.”
Norfolk County Council’s plans are being operated both at council level and community grassroots, with subsidised tree packs available to order.
This includes a limited number of ‘Taller Tree Packs’, grown at Gressenhall Community Tree Nursery. Tree species on offer via this method include beech, oak, and birch trees, enabling every resident of Norfolk to be a part of the project.
Norfolk’s one million tree programme began in November 2020. It was part of the county council’s plan to reach net carbon zero by 2030. The total goal was to have a little over 1 tree per Norfolk resident, as Norfolk had a population of 908,000 in 2019.
The stated goals of the plan were to provide safe wildlife habitats, fighting climate change, and boosting the health and wellbeing of the people of Norfolk as a whole.
