We’ve teamed up with volunteers from the Cheriton Conservation Volunteer Group, the Alresford and Cheriton Explorer Scouts, Butterfly Conservation, and farmers in the Cheriton Valley, to plant disease-resistant elms. The planting of these elms and hedges will help restore important wildlife habitats, enhance biodiversity, and lead to local nature recovery.
In January, we planted 40 disease-resistant elms along bridleways and footpaths around the Cheriton valley. Elms were one of the six major trees within our woodlands, commonly used in landscaping. Unfortunately, since the 1960s, Dutch elm disease has caused the death of almost all mature elm trees in Britain, resulting in the loss of an estimated 60 to 100 million trees. This has meant that more than 80 species of invertebrate, including several rare moths and the White-letter Hairstreak butterfly have lost their habitats. When the newly planted trees are mature, they will once again host White-letter Hairstreak butterflies, whose sole food source is mature elms.
We also planted over 150 hedge whips donated by The Tree Council to widen field hedges and fill gaps. We hope this is the first project of many.
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