As part of the development of Red Rose Forest, The Co-operative Bank has celebrated its 125th anniversary by helping create four community woodlands - in the Urmston and Ashton areas of Trafford, at Brookhouse in Salford, at Amberswood in Wigan and here
at Kenworthy Wood. These sites cover over 250 hectares (the same as about
500 football pitches!) and all are designed to be valuable resources for people
and wildlife. The Mersey Valley Countryside Warden Service manages Kenworthy
Wood, along
with Chorlton Water Park and many other sites in Manchester and Trafford.
The Mersey Valley is a joint countryside management project covering the river and surrounding land between the Manchester/ Stockport boundary and the Manchester Ship Canal in Irlam.
The project is run by a Joint Committee of councillors from Manchester City Council and Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council, along with representatives of the Environment Agency. Its aims are to encourage the use of the Valley for recreation, conservation and agriculture rather than development.
Within the project boundary, the Joint Committee manages nearly 40 sites on behalf of the constituent authorities, totalling 300ha/800acres. The Joint Committee also guides the work of the Mersey Valley Countryside Warden Service, with Manchester City Council acting as managing district.
The Warden Service is responsible for land and visitor management on Mersey Valley sites.
In 1997 and 1998, around 30,000 trees (mostly native species including Silver Birch, Alder, Oak and Ash) were planted to create 13 hectares (32 acres) of new woodlands. These trees, chosen to suit local climate and soils, are growing well and have already transformed the site. Other areas have been left as open grassland or scrub to encourage a diversity of wildlife.
The new and existing woodlands provide a home to lots of wildlife. Birds
found on site include pheasant, woodcock and long-tailed tits, and a wide
range of woodland fungi
has already been recorded. It's not just the woodlands which are important
- the grassland and wet areas are ideal habitat for herons and warblers, butterflies
and orchids.
The Wardens actively manage the site to make sure it continues to improve, and keep track of what wildlife occurs - why not check the 'What's about' board at the Wardens' Office, or let them know what you've seen?
There were already several species of poplar on the site before the project began, and so it was an ideal place to develop a collection of these varied and interesting trees - there are now over 20 varieties. 'Coppicing' is a traditional way of managing woodlands, where trees are cut back to near ground level and regrow to produce straight stems, which can be harvested every few years. Many species are suitable for coppicing, and each has its own range of uses - fencing, charcoal, fuel, or construction materials. Along the Coppice Trail you can see examples of coppiced trees as well as demonstrations of the uses for coppiced timber.
Providing food is one of the ways in which woodlands can be productive, and so a Community Orchard is being developed, with a range of fruit and nuts. Feel free to enjoy the produce - just leave plenty for other people to share!
Kenworthy Wood is a place for people to enjoy the countryside. You can explore
the site using the network of surfaced footpaths, and there are special paths
for horseriding or cycling - it's a good place for mountain biking! If
you want to find out
more about the site, why not join the Wardens on one of our public events?
You can get details from the Wardens' Office at Chorlton Water Park.
Kenworthy Wood is a great starting point to explore the Mersey Valley, and
the Trans-Pennine Trail which runs through the site could take you Sale and
Didsbury, Urmston and Stockport - and even Liverpool, Hull or Istanbul...
follow this link to find out more from the co-operative community woodland website