Watch Northamptonshire volunteers step in to rescue trees

People brought along their spades to Grangewood Park to rescue small trees that were growing in the shade and could eventually die if they were not moved.

Northampton resident Mick Lorkins, the event organiser, wished to meet new people, get the community outside, and further engage in climate action.

Mick founded Northamptonshire Woodland Community Volunteers in June to promote and implement the More Trees Now methodology.

More Trees Now is a Dutch initiative harvesting seedlings that are either overcrowded or growing in unsuitable locations. The organisation redistributes the saplings for free to create additional woodlands after temporarily storing them.

Mick said: “These trees grow under larger trees, and they will be deprived of water and sunlight if you leave them there. So actually, it's a good thing to be able to dig those up. It gives the Mother Trees a little bit more space to grow, and we're creating something for the whole community.”

In January, Mick and other volunteers organised the first ‘Tree Harvesting’ event in Martin Moore Wood in Northampton when around 40 people rescued 400 trees.

Around 29 volunteers gathered last weekend in Northampton to harvest 260 trees.

Mick said that the Grangewood Park event was more about teaching attendees the process than it was about harvesting a certain amount of trees.

The event was held in partnership with East Hunsbury Parish Council, More Trees Now, and Climate Action - West Northamptonshire.

“We have 165 parishes in the county, so there are 165 different opportunities there to start with, so it would be good if someone else would like to do this with our communities, so come forward,” said Mick.

The tree hub was built in advance of the event by a number of East Hunsbury Parish Council officials.

Councillor Michael Campbell, the East Hunsbury Parish Council chairman, said: “We could see the benefit because what Mick was showing us was that we had a lot of saplings that were growing under bigger trees, which we're never going to see the light of day and we're therefore going to die or wither.”

As of right now, all of the trees are maintained in an enclosure, also known as the 'Tree Hub', for a number of months.

The volunteers are organising a 'Distribution Day' event in which trees are going to be distributed for free in the coming months.

People can sign up for a collecting slot on the More Trees Now website when the distribution day is announced.

Clare Robertson-Marriott, a former teacher and community activist who attended the event, said: “We've all got to take responsibility for the environment and the place that we live, and today has been great because this kind of action is so educational. It brings people together, and it creates resilience in communities, so it's a wonderful way of helping the environment and helping each other. It's an absolutely vital community action, and I think all such events need to be supported by the council.”

Mick hopes to organise more Harvest Days this winter season.

“The event has been very successful.

“I think it's going to be a community adventure that you want to be a part of,” said Mick.