February 23, 2012 9.22 am This story is over 153 months old

Call for volunteers to plant trees near Lincoln

New woodland: Scheme to plant 4,700 trees at a new community woodland north of Lincoln is calling for keen green volunteers.

A scheme to plant 4,700 trees at a new community woodland north of Lincoln is calling for keen green volunteers to pull on their wellies this weekend.

Lincolnshire Co-operative and Nettleham Woodland Trust have created a woodland on a piece of land at Ashing Lane Nature Reserve, near the village of Dunholme.

Volunteers are need to help plant areas of the 10-acre site with trees that thrive in marshy site, including common alders, birch trees, willows, hawthorns and oaks.

The site will be a wet woodland, which is an unusual habitat in the East Midlands.

Local school children will be the first to plan some of the trees on Friday, February 24, while on Saturday, February 25, the tree planting session will open to all.

Those willing to help can park at Welton’s William Farr School and shuttle buses will be running to and from the site every 30 minutes from 10am until 3pm.

The last bus back from the site will leave at 4pm and hot drinks will be provided on the day.

The site has already been prepared for planting by Co-op staff who volunteered for the day (pictured) alongside representatives from the Nettleham Woodland Trust.

Volunteers will have a variety of trees to plant next to colour-coded canes. They will then need to make a slit in the ground with a spade, pop the sapling in, and use their welly boots to press down the soil around the roots. A plastic spiral guard will then be placed over the tree to protect it from hares and rabbits.

Lincolnshire Co-operative’s Membership and Community Manager Sam Turner said: “You can come for an hour, for the afternoon or even all day – we’ll be pleased to see you however much time you can spare.”

Woodland Advisor for Nettleham Woodland Trust Rod Newborough added: “It really is simple to plant a tree when you know how. We’ll be showing all the volunteers the correct procedure.”