Introducing The Urban Long Forest Project
Hedgerows form a vital part of the Welsh landscape, supporting an enormous variety of species and acting as corridors for wildlife by connecting pockets of precious green space. Sadly, hedgerows across the country are at risk from inappropriate management, destruction and neglect, particularly in built up areas.
We are delighted to announce that we have received initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the development of our Urban Long Forest Project.
Made possible by National Lottery players, the project aims to protect and restore hedgerows in Cardiff, Caerphilly, Neath Port Talbot and Wrexham.
We will be working in partnership with Coed Cadw, Adult Learning Wales, Llais y Goedwig and local authorities to plan a range of education, training, and practical activities.
Long Forest over the years
We have been protecting hedgerows in rural areas for nearly ten years through the ‘Long Forest’ initiative.
This started with a pilot in Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons) in 2014 and developed into a national project.
Between 2017 and 2021, we worked with rural communities and landowners across Wales to survey, create and restore hedgerows.
119711
trees were planted as new hedges
34628
metres of hedgerow were improved
3000+
volunteers dedicated 13,000 hours looking after hedgerows
1000
volunteers and 100 landowners were trained
48000
of hedgerows were surveyed
