Fire escape

I was so taken aback by Tychwood, the UK's first 'tiny forest', in Witney, that I forgot to take any photos. I couldn't believe that 600 trees could possibly survive on a plot the size of a tennis court but the friend I was out walking with helped plant it with other local people nearly four years ago and it's thriving.

The idea was introduced to the UK by Earthwatch which says, "Mimicking native woodland, this small, fast-growing, and dense forest is ideal for urban areas where space is limited. Despite their small size, tiny forests deliver significant tangible benefits, including flood mitigation, improved air quality, noise reduction near busy roads, havens for wildlife, and spaces for people to connect with nature. Scientific modelling shows that just four years after planting, a single Tiny Forest will:
• Grow up to five times faster compared to traditional monoculture tree-planting schemes
• Absorb up to 30 times more carbon compared to traditional planting schemes
• Attract more than 500 species of animals and plants - in addition to those planted
• Process 30,000 litres of rainfall
• Improve air quality through dust reduction
• Provide up to 30 times better noise reduction compared to traditional planting schemes
• Help with thermal comfort"

There are now 219 in the Netherlands and the UK, including one very close to where I live. I shall have to go and find it.

Meanwhile, a pretty silly picture for Saturday.