Tuesday 22 April 2014

Trees to boost business value in Birkenhead.

Local residents may have noticed the street trees going into streets around Birkenhead. Many of the trees are replacements for trees which have died and will rejuvenate the outlook of the area as well as enhance the green infrastructure of Birkenhead. Locations for trees have included; the Connaught Estate, Price Street, Cleveland Street, Hamilton Square and Wirral Met College. Tree species include Ginkgo biloba, Gleditsia triacanthos, Liquidambar styraciflua, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, among others. These street trees will provide an important cooling effect in the summer months, along with absorbing atmospheric pollutants.

Recent studies have also shown interesting consumer trends around shopping areas where streets are planted with trees.

  • Customers are willing to pay as much as 10 % more for goods if businesses are located on tree- lined streets. 
  • Consumers rated products more highly when product testing in shopping areas with lots of shade trees, when compared with those shopping in areas barren of trees.
  • Tree lined shopping areas encourage shoppers to linger and shop for longer. For more info see here.

All this means that the shopping areas of Birkenhead which have already received street trees, or will in the future, should benefit from a boost in business through increases in customer numbers and longer shopping times, as well as a willingness to pay more for goods.


Tuesday 1 April 2014

Planting with the Tree Musketeers

We have been really busy over the last few weeks finishing off our planting schemes before the weather starts to warm up. The trees that we plant over winter are bare rooted, meaning they can be lifted from the ground and planted in the winter, while the weather is colder, as the trees are dormant at this time. However, as the weather starts to warm up and spring is in the air, the trees will begin to grow again, meaning planting them will cause water stress and the tree might die. This leaves us with quite a narrow window to get our trees planted - roughly the months between November and the end of March. 

The Beacon CE Primary, North Liverpool

We joined teachers and pupils from the Beacon CE Primary School in North Liverpool to help them create a new area of woodland to use for their Forest School sessions. The school are adopting an area of amenity grassland just outside their school boundary and are working to develop it into an area of working woodland which the school will manage themselves. The area has been planted up with a mixture of native woodland species, including pine, beech, holly, oak, willow, dogwood, alder, elder, dog  rose, silver birch, rowan, blackthorn and hawthorn whips. Larger silver birch and oak trees were also planted to mark out the edge of the woodland.

Pupils of all ages helped to plant the trees, having a great time despite the windy conditions! Everyone worked in pairs or small groups to dig the holes and plant the trees, taking care not to trample the daffodils too much! We look forward to carrying on the planting next season with some fruit trees and creation of a shelter belt at the front of the school.



Kirkdale St Lawrence Primary School, North Liverpool

Staff from The Mersey Forest helped Kirkdale St Lawrence School to plant their first orchard. A combination of apple cordons, pears, damsons and plums were planted on a grassy bank in the school grounds. Pupils will be able to nurture their trees, watching them grow and bear fruit. Any fruit produced by the trees will then be able to be eaten by the pupils, or sold as part of a farmer’s market plan the school are hoping to put into action. This will involve the pupils growing fruit and vegetables to sell themselves, helping them to learn about how to manage a business as well as how to grow their own food and the benefits of healthy eating. The tree planting is part of a long- term goal by the school to make their outdoor area greener, working around the challenges of hard landscaping and limited space.

Cathcart Street Primary, Birkenhead

Cathcart Street Primary pupils have been doing lots to improve their outdoor space over the last couple of months. They began by preparing an area of ground for some wildflower sowing to provide a habitat for pollinating insects. Staff from The Mersey Forest provided wildflower poppy mix for the children to sow to commemorate the First World War, which they have been learning about in school. This was followed a few weeks later with some tree planting, a combination of silver birch, apple, pear and damson trees. These will provide shade in the nursery area’s outside space as well as shading two seating areas and giving the children the opportunity to learn about fruit growing.  The children really enjoyed digging and planting and are already taking watering the trees and wildflowers very seriously!

Malvern Primary, Knowsley

Staff and pupils from Malvern Primary School have been working hard to transform their school grounds into an amazing outdoor learning area, with the help of The Mersey Forest. Several new areas of mixed woodland have been created, as well as an orchard and a wet woodland area which will feature a wildlife pond.

The whole school were involved in planting trees and sowing wildflowers to create their new Forest School area. Year 6 pupils supported classes of younger children throughout the day, giving them encouragement and helping them to dig. All the children had the opportunity to learn about the benefits of planting trees and spent some time helping to plant their forest school area and explore the new space. Tree species planted included Scots Pine, Beech, Willow, Holly, Oak, Field Maple, Rowan, Cherry, Alder and Silver Birch. In the orchard Apple, Pear, Cherry, Plum and Damson were planted to provide a range of fruit which children can taste and use to create dishes which promote healthy eating.

By creating this outdoor classroom the children will be able to have lessons outside in their natural environment allowing them to learn more about managing woodland, building dens, making fire’s, as well as gaining increased self- esteem, better social skills, health and physical fitness improvements.