A partnership between the county council and the Oxfordshire Woodland Group aims to meet the need for more woodland, writes ELIZABETH EDWARDS

A simple solution has been found to the problem of how to increase the planting of much needed trees in the county. Oxfordshire County Council's Countryside Service had several suitable sites, but did not have sufficient staff to manage them. While Oxfordshire Woodland Group did have the volunteers but no sites.

"Put problems together and you've got an opportunity," said Eric Dougliss, the county forester. "The idea behind this scheme is very simple. The county council has several sites, all suitable for tree planting - Oxfordshire Woodland Group can find and organise resources to plant and manage the trees.

"Working together, the council and woodland group become the perfect match in terms of delivering the new local woodlands that we all want to see."

Planting has already begun on the first site, half an acre at Stratfield Brake, Kidlington. This is next to a willow coppice, which the council has planted to produce wood fuel, and near to the 40-acre Woodland Trust site, on land leased from the county council.

Just before Christmas two volunteers planted the first of an eventual 500 ash trees. They will be managed to provide continuous tree cover. In time, this will provide wood fuel, a range of other products, and, after 60 years or so, a small but steady supply of high-quality ash timber.

"In a woodland setting, not every tree planted will survive to maturity, but, pound for pound, the environmental benefits of a woodland plantation over 100 years or so are greater than those of amenity trees," said Eric. "Managed as part of sustainable woodland, those benefits will remain, long after the amenity trees are gone and forgotten."

As the county council already owns the land, the cost is only for the supply, planting and management, amounting to £6 per tree. Initially, contribution to the project is limited to county council staff and members of Oxfordshire Woodland Group.

"This compares favourably with the typical cost of other environmental tree-planting schemes, but does much more," he added. "It allows us to offer a little more for your money than a typical scheme charging the same."

Each payment of £6 will also generate an extra benefit - £1 from each contribution is being donated to Tree Aid, to support a project in Ghana. Like that in Oxfordshire, the Kandema Rural Regeneration Project aims to help the local people in establishing woods and orchards, providing training and the basic materials to set up nurseries.

"Although there are great differences in detail, there are many fundamental issues and problems common to community forestry in Oxfordshire and northern Ghana - and there may well be common solutions," said Eric.

Any surplus money generated will be used by Oxfordshire Woodland Group to establish a fund to buy land. Anybody who contributes to a tree's purchase will be able to join in a planting event - saving the charity up to 50p a time.

The council has other sites to follow on from Stratfield Brake, but not before all the planting there is complete.

So another benefit of the scheme is allowing people to become directly involved.

"It all starts to fit together," said Eric. "What we will have is a very interesting woodland which volunteers and local enthusiasts who want to carry out woodland work with hand tools can share in.

"The woodland is also somewhere where the public can go, as there is no problem with access as there would be on land privately owned. It's amazing how many people want to take part, if we create somewhere that they can come to."

When the trees have reached the pollarding stage they will be cut at waist height - the volunteers can take part in this work with hand tools. As well as the coppiced wood being used for fuel, it is hoped that allotment-holders will find it a good source of supply for bean poles and other supports.

There will be further benefits for wildlife and the local landscape.

"When the woodland is fully grown we will have a community woodland, and there will also be the possibilities in the commercial market for the wood from the mature trees," added Eric.

Membership of Oxfordshire Woodland Group is open to anybody and £10 a year. Details are available from its manager, David Rees, on 01993 814140. Anybody who would like to make a donation can contact Eric Dougliss on 01993 814141.

The Woodland Trust's site at Stratfield Brake has received £4,312 from WREN, the Waste Recycling Group, to install benches at key points, improve access and control invasive species such as ragwort and creeping thistle.