Train Hugger Planting Projects

West Sussex Broadleaf Trees

Tree Planting

West Sussex Broadleaf Trees

Recovering from Dutch Elm Disease

This woodland in the South Downs National Park has restored with a mix of native broadleaved trees. Over the last 50 years, Dutch elm disease has killed millions of elm trees in the UK. As part of this project, disease resistant elm trees have been planted to help replace some of the trees that were lost from the landscape. Elms, alongside other broadleaf trees, such as juniper trees, will provide food and shelter for local wildlife.

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This project is in partnership with:

Royal Forestry Society

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Listed below are some of the trees planting on this site

If the oak is the king of British trees, then the beech is its queen.A dense canopy of leaves provides a rich habitat for all sorts of insects, its seeds are popular with mice and squirrels, and hole-nesting birds make their homes in beech trunks.Some of the UK’s tallest native trees are beeches, including one that stands at over 44m tall on the National Trust's Devil's Dyke Estate in West Sussex.‍

Beech

Also known as the common or English oak, this is the undisputed king of the woods, supporting more wildlife species than any other native tree in the UK. “Robur” in this oak’s Latin name means “strength” and “hard timber” because this tree produces incredibly durable wood which can be used to make many things, including furniture and flooring. The oak has been considered sacred by many gods in mythology throughout the ages.

Pedunculate Oak

The common hazel is native to Europe and western Asia and forms an important part of England’s hedgerows. We have all heard of hazelnuts, which are rich in unsaturated fats and protein, and an extremely popular ingredient in many of the world’s cuisines. Did you know that hazel trees were once seen as both magical and a symbol of fertility?

Hazel

The downy birch, or white birch, is a deciduous, broad-leafed tree which grows abundantly across the north of Europe and northern Asia. The outer bark can be stripped off without killing the tree, and its twigs and branches are flexible and make good brooms. The Sami people in Scandinavia use downy birch bark when making their traditional bread, while the tree’s sap can be collected in early spring and used to make a syrup or beer.

Downy Birch

This deciduous tree has broad leaves which look a little like those of the maple and start off bright green, before turning red and falling in the autumn. The wild service is becoming increasingly rare, but grows best in the UK’s ancient woodlands near oak or ash trees. You’ll find wild service trees growing on the British Prime Minister’s country estate in Buckinghamshire, which is named after its fruits, “Chequers”.

Wild Service

Alder can be found across Europe and thrives in moist ground and damp cool areas, which is why you’ll often see alder trees planted near rivers and ponds. Moth caterpillars love alder leaves and the tree’s roots make an ideal nesting site for otters. For humans, the real value of alder wood is that it’s durable when wet, so is useful for making boats and sluice gates. The story goes that outlaws like Robin Hood would have used the green dye from alder flowers to camouflage their clothing!

Alder

Other Train Hugger Projects

Continue reading more about our planting projects

Somerset Acorn Project

Replacing Non Native Tres in Lough Neagh

Pembrokeshire Cricket Bat Willow

Storm Recovery in Berwickshire 2

Storm Recovery in Berwickshire 1

Spruce Replacement in West Sussex

Trees not Brambles in Co.Tyrone

Linking Woodlands in County Antrim

County Antrim New and Old

Case Study: County Down 3

Replacing Non Native Trees in NI

South Tyrone planting for biodiversity

Experimental Planting in Country Tyrone

County Armagh: Different Growth Rates for Better Biodiversity

Case Study: County Down 2

Case Study: County Down 1

Devon Gum Trees

Case Study: Planting for Resilience in Buckinghamshire

Case Study: Conversion of Conifer Plantation to Mixed Broadleaves

Hampshire Mixed Woodlands

North Yorkshire Spruce

Case Study: Saving a Hampshire Woodland from Disease

Devon Beech Trees

West Sussex Broadleaf Trees

Norfolk Oaks

Case Study: Storm Resilience in Northumberland