In 2020, The Sherwood Forest Trust received a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help deliver the ‘Green Recovery Challenge Fund’ project. A large part of this project is focused on conserving and restoring important heathland sites in the area, one of which is Oak Tree Heath in Mansfield.
After doing some brilliant conservation work during the summer, the Trust has made a special video to explain the importance of the heathland, the dangers that can be caused by fire and the damage that can be done to animals, insects and plants. Visit the Sherwood Forest Trust’s YouTube channel to see at their ‘Heathland Firestarter Legacy Video’.
Katie Doull, Nature Volunteer Coordinator for the Trust said: “Thanks to local school children, teachers, cubs, scouts and members of the public, we’ve done great work on the heath over the past year. Our legacy video features the local children explaining what the heath means to them, and we hope it can be used to educate and inspire others.”
Through the work done so far, young heather is already beginning to emerge from the previously burnt bare ground. This offers glimmers of hope that despite the neglect this habitat has seen over the years, nature will always prevail. With the help of local volunteers, Oak Tree Heath will once again be an oasis for an abundance of unique wildlife.