Local green-fingered volunteers help plant 500 trees in one day for native wildlife conservation

Six enthusiastic local volunteers – the youngest, Owen, being just 12 years old – assisted Folly Farm’s Conservation Officer Jack Gradidge on Thursday 6^th April, in planting approximately 500 trees in various wild spaces across the Folly Farm grounds.

Folly Farm says it’s always looking at ways to improve its carbon footprint, and they’ve been accredited with the Green Key accolade for several years running. It already has its own willow plantation for supplying various animals such as the giraffe, rhino and goats, with fresh browse and enrichment.

This time however, Jack was keen to fill some of the attraction’s wild spaces – including the land behind their Tortoise Country exhibit and on the farm next to the paddock of red deer. Jack was also keen to concentrate on planting a variety of native species of tree – including: Oak, hazel, blackthorn, hawthorn, dogwood, dogrose, aspen, alder, field maple, rowen and crab apple.

Jack enthused; “The flowers and blossom from blackthorn and rowan will encourage insects and the bright red berries of the rowan and hawthorn will help to feed our native birds through the cold winter months.” 

It was a wonderful opportunity for members of the public to join Folly Farm’s efforts, see more of the park and to view some of the attraction’s exotic residents – as well as keep an eye out for some Welsh native wildlife that share the space. The group spotted chaffinches, centipedes, woodlice and plenty of earth worms during their busy day!

Jack was super happy with the help; “I was so appreciative of everyone’s efforts today and we hope to welcome wildlife volunteers back in the future to help with more conservation initiatives to help our native wildlife.”

Folly Farm were able to support the work of not-for-profit organisation ‘The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), who kindly donated the array of tree saplings used for their tree planting day – as part of their ‘I Dig Trees’ initiative. I Dig Trees is a planting programme that supports OVO Energy’s Planting Promise which sees one million trees planted each year.

(All images: Folly Farm Wales)