RESTORING THE GREAT NORTH WOOD IN FOREST HILL

First recorded in 1272, the Great North Wood once ran from the North Downs near Croydon to the Thames at Deptford. Fragments of this once mighty Oak forest can be found in the Sydenham Woods and the One Tree Hill Nature Reserves, and also in the Oak trees in Horniman Gardens and in many private gardens nearby. Apart from its boundary hedges, the Horniman Triangle is almost treeless, and is a somewhat weak link in what remains of the old forest. A group of us in Forest Hill are trying to do something about this. This includes Climate Action for Lewisham, Clean Air for SE23, The Forest Hill Society and a number of resident associations

Our aim is to plant 9 Oak trees up the right hand and sunny side of the Triangle. This will form a wildlife corridor between the Oak trees in the Sydenham Woods Nature Reserve and those in the Horniman Gardens. The benefits of this scheme will include:

1. Access to green (wooded) space. A woodland walk for local residents will be created between Dulwich Woods, Sydenham Woods, the soon-to-be wooded Horniman Triangle, the Horniman Gardens and OneTree Hill.

2. Benefits to nature. The owls and hedgehogs which have deserted Forest Hill for the greater safety of the Sydenham Woods could return.

3. Climate change. On account of their massive size and great longevity, Oak trees are the best trees for absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and for fixing the carbon for hundreds of years in wood.

4. Beauty. Imagine 9 mighty Oaks in 100 years time running up the right hand side of the Horniman Triangle.

If you would like to contribute to this exciting project, please donate here. Large or small, it all counts!