Long-term partnership aims to boost woodland biodiversity

The Heart of England Forest, a reforesting and conservation charity, has joined forces with us in a long-term partnership, which will see us work together initially until 2028. The partnership aims to establish and create a meaningful environmental project that goes beyond tree planting and demonstrates a proactive commitment to conservation.

The partnership has been agreed as part of our portfolio approach with several environmental organisations to reach its net zero targets. For the Heart of England Forest, the long-term collaboration creates flexibility to propose projects that respond to the charity’s need, with scope for skill sharing and volunteering at scale. The project allows us to make a significant difference to the charity’s mission and work – creating real and lasting impact.

The core deliverables within the partnership include supporting:

• Woodland habitat creation via tree planting which will lead to multiple improvements to associated biodiversity
•  Enhancements to community amenity value such as: habitat creation, enhancement and maintenance, provision of footpaths and access
• Volunteering opportunities for our employees and community groups to engage more people with nature and its protection.

The first two years of the partnership will focus on a variety of projects, and work has already started with the planting of 33,250 trees without plastic protective tree guards, helping to establish 59 acres of new native broadleaf woodlands in the heart of the country. This area of woodland creation has been overplanted to allow for losses and will be monitored to enable the charity to understand how it can rely more on this natural way of establishing new woodland, without putting plastic into the landscape. This key deliverable of the partnership was made possible by us funding the saplings, tools, and staff resource that supported volunteering across the last planting season.

Most recently work has been completed on a National Grid apprenticeship project; approximately 54 apprentices from the company came to the forest to install a 50m and a 30m boardwalk, and repair and improve an accessible forest route.

Beth Brook, CEO of the Heart of England Forest said: “National Grid Electricity Distribution recognises the importance of creating a holistic partnership – we are excited to be working with them on projects and initiatives that prioritise biodiversity, creating social value, volunteering, and apprenticeship opportunities.”

The Heart of England Forest admire National Grid Electricity Distribution’s commitment to improving biodiversity and are glad to be a part of this portfolio of partnerships. We are excited to see where this collaboration takes us and look forward to sharing our impacts and outcomes with the public and local community.”

Jill Russell, Environment Manager at NGED added: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Heart of England Forest. This collaboration will help us achieve our ambition of being at the heart of a clean, fair and affordable energy future.

“Our current Business Plan, which runs until 2028, gives us some key environmental targets and we believe this type of partnership is the right thing to do. After all, there is no Planet B.”

The partnership aims to benefit people and communities as well as the environment, aiding work that delivers an impact and working to support a project or projects that deliver more than just a carbon target.