13,000 new trees planted at Blickling Estate in Norfolk

Over the past few months 22 different tree species have been planted in three areas of the estate - creating habitats for animals like owls, bats, woodpeckers, grass snakes and adders.

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Stuart Banks, countryside manager at the National Trust-owned site, said the woodland areas were next to Blickling Lodge, on the river near Ingworth and on the edge of Bunker’s Hill plantation.

He said it was part of an effort to improve wildlife habitats and corridors along the River Bure - one of only 200 chalk-stream rivers worldwide.

Mr Banks said: “We’ve installed a barn owl box in the woodland adjacent to one of the new planting areas. 

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“The parkland is home to a healthy population of barn owls as well as buzzards and red kites, which frequently hunt over the woodland margins and hedgerows. 

“Raptors and owls will help to keep numbers of small mammals down, which tend to strip bark from the new trees and stop them growing to maturity.” 

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Mr Banks said eight bat species had been recorded on the estate.

He said: “The newly planted woodland areas will be a real benefit to bats, connecting existing woodlands and creating feeding corridors along the edges.”

The tree species are alder, silver birch, downy birch, hornbeam, hazel, hawthorn, crab apple, wild cherry, blackthorn, sessile oak, pendunculate oak, white willow, wild service tree, small-leaved lime, black poplar, red oak, sweet chestnut, common walnut, yew, Corsican pine, field maple and whitebeam.

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National Trust staff and volunteers, community groups and children from a local primary school all pitched in on the plantings, which was funded by a government ‘England woodland creation offer’ and was part of the trust’s Riverlands project.