Severn Trent is continuing work on its Tiny Forests planting programme across the West Midlands region in celebration of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games - the utility is now close to achieving its goal of planting 72 Tiny Forests.

As Birmingham 2022’s Official Nature & Carbon Neutral Supporter, Severn Trent is delivering a series of initiatives to leave a social and environmental legacy following the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. This work includes the creation of 2,022 acres of Commonwealth Forests, as well as 72 tennis-court-sized Tiny Forests which are being created across the Midlands.

Birmingham City Council has committed 10 acres of land at Woodgate Valley Country Park to plant the first Commonwealth Forest in Birmingham.

Today the water company will plant 600 trees for its sixth Tiny Forest in Lichfield at an open space in Christ Church in Lichfield - with 3,000 trees already planted in the town.

The utility is now close to achieving its Tiny Forests goal - the initiative, supported by environmental charity Earthwatch Europe, has seen 68 Tiny Forests planted to date with 35,400 trees in total as part of the scheme.

Earthwatch Europe is pioneering the Tiny Forest movement in the UK - the Tiny Forests can attract over 500 animal and plant species within the first three years of planting.  

Severn Trent’s Forest Delivery Manager, Ricky Dallow, said: 

“We’ve really enjoyed planting our Tiny Forests across the region. This site at Christ Church in Lichfield will be our 69th site and we are over the moon to have accomplished what we have so far.

“As a company that takes care of one of life’s essentials, we’re really passionate about making a positive impact on the communities and the environment where we live and work and these Tiny Forests are going to be a real asset to the Midlands.” 

Tiny Forests planted to date in Severn Trent’s region include:

• 24 sites across the Black Country
• 6,400 trees planted and 10 acres of forest created at Birmingham City Council’s Woodgate Valley Country Park
• 3,000 trees planted in Birminghamat at five Tiny Forests sites
• 5,400 Tiny Forests trees planted by nine schools across Coventry and Warwickshire

The sites will help to deliver a lasting legacy for Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as well as boosting access to green space in urban areas, supporting environmental education and increasing regional resilience against environmental issues such as flooding, heat stress and nature loss.

Central to Birmingham 2022’s aim to make the Games the most sustainable yet, is the ambition to create a carbon neutral legacy. Focusing on a reduction first approach, the final carbon footprint will be balanced out by carbon offsets, including the Commonwealth Forest across the Midlands.

Over time, as the trees mature, they will remove and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and in doing so will offset a large part of Birmingham 2022’s projected carbon footprint. The process will be validated and verified by the UK Woodland Carbon Code – the best practice standard for UK woodland creation projects in the UK.