Stafford Brooks

It’s #NationalTreeWeek and our project team and wonderful Wildlife Trust volunteers are hard at work out planting Trees for the Stafford Brooks programme!

Believe it or not, just planting loads of trees isn’t as good for the environment as you might think. It’s important to get the Right Tree in the Right Place.

At Rising Brook, we’re planting a variety of several hundred native trees that will thrive in both the wet and drier parts of this woodland. For example trees like alder and willow are often found near streams and rivers, and will cope best in the part of the land here that slopes closer to the water, while trees like black thorn are planted higher up. 

By planting trees in the cooler, wet weather in late November, they’ll have the best chance to take root and survive for years to come. 

If you'd like to plant trees in your area, we recommend you have a look at our Right Tree, Right Place webpage, which include free reference materials on what species of trees are appropriate for different habitats (for example woodlands, or floodplains) as well as a list of trees native to Staffordshire. There's also a step-by-step planting guide and top tips for after planting care. So don't delay, plan to plant your tree today!

Work continues on the Stafford Brooks project as the conservation begins to enter the next phase. Senior Marketing and Communications Officer Christine Harding brings us up to speed on recent achievements. 

Read the full update here.

July 2024 has been an important month for Stafford Brooks, with the delivery phase of the conservation work taking off at full speed, and as the old adage goes you need to “make hay while the sun shines.”

Read our full update here

With the arrival of the sunshine, and completion of bird nesting surveys, our contractors Catchment Designs have arrived at Radford Meadows and work is about to begin. 

Over the next couple months, conservation work will take place on eight sites throughout Stafford. Below there is an estimated schedule for sites that require bigger machinery to complete the works, but please note this is subject to weather and conditions on each site and may change as needed for safety purposes.

If you have any questions, please contact us at staffordbrooks@staffs-wildlife.org.uk and one of the team will be in touch. 

Estimated delivery schedule:
Radford Meadows, 8 July - 17 July
Riverside LNR (Fairway), 17 July - 30 July
Queensville, 31 July - 9 August
Kingsmead LNR, 12 August - 13 August
Rising Brook, 14 August - 15 August 

The Stafford Brooks Project Team at SWT display plans for the first round of project conservation works on eight key sites at Stafford Library. The boards are supplied in a downloadable PDF above.

Kingsmead Marsh
This site has special lowland fen habitats which are very important for wading birds and wetland invertebrates like dragonflies, craneflies, and damselflies. We’re going to improve this habitat by creating small ‘dragonfly’ pools to hold open water, and fell some willow trees which could take over if left unmanaged.

This summer we’ll begin creating the pools, connecting them with open water which will give greater access for wildlife. This work will improve the site for nature by providing different depths of water and improved fen habitat. It will also help keep the site wetter during dry hot summer months and in turn give wildlife a refuge.

Kingston Pool Covert (South)
We will work to transform the grassland on the south side of the covert into a lowland meadow with a
wider variety of wildflowers which will attract more insects. Right now, this grassland has very little variety, and one species is out competing the rest. By pulling up turf and reseeding we’ll create greater diversity.

This summer we’ll begin work here and we hope to see the first signs of wildflowers in 2025. However, grasslands like this one do typically take around five years to fully establish so it may take time for it to look different.

*The Environment Agency has kindly secured extra funding for improvement works to take place along the Kingston Brook in the nearby woodland. We will share more information on this soon.

Rising Brook
Grassland and wet woodland on this site will be improved to host a variety of new species. To do this we will open up drains to let water pool more naturally. Water quality will improve as water will filter through the woodland. Importantly, the work will increase carbon storage at the site, which is vital to tackling climate change. Where needed, we will plant water-loving trees like native black poplar. This tree provides many benefits for wildlife and we’re working to bolster their numbers in the county as they are at risk of extinction.

This summer we’ll begin work here. Over coming years we’ll start to see some of the benefits but the full results will take several years to develop. Tree planting is best done in autumn and winter when the weather is cooler and wetter, so younger sapplings have a better chance of survival. Native black poplar trees can live for 200 years when healthy.

Radford Meadows
This rough grassland has potential to become a wetland mosaic habitat that holds a lot of water and keeps flooding away from other areas in the community. To achieve this we will excavate wetland pools and block drains to control where water sits. We will also manage aggressive plant species like broad-leaved dock and tufted hair-grass, allowing a wider variety of plant life to thrive. The current conservation grazing we do on this site may need to pause while we undertake work, but will continue again in the future. This summer we’ll begin work here. Wetland establishment is very much dependent upon seasonal rainfall over the next few years.

The Meadows at Queensville
This grassland site already features shallow pools. We’ll make these into more permanent pools, ensuring they are in the best place to hold water on site. We’ll also enhance 5.7 hectares of grassland here, creating wildflower meadows. In summer visitors will be able to enjoy meandering through these meadows on mown pathways, which will be created as part of the site’s seasonal management.

This summer we’ll begin work here and we hope to see the first signs of wildflowers in 2025. However, grasslands like this one do typically take around five years to fully establish so it may take time for it to look different.

Riverside Local Nature Reserve (Fairway)
At Riverside Local Nature Reserve we will reprofile the riverbank, altering where and how the river flows. This will make more open water on site, and create a shallow bank along the river which is good habitat for juvenile fish and invertebrates. This will also help us ensure the wetland onsite is healthy, and is wet all year, but in a more appropriate location on the reserve than it has been previously.

This won’t completely stop flooding if we have more years with record levels of rainfall, but it will help reduce the risk of flooding to areas outside the floodplain. Work starts here in Summer 2024, but nature has her own timeline. It may be several years before we see fully developed results with mature plants established on river banks. Black poplar trees take time to grow, and can live for 200 years when healthy.

Former Littleworth Tennis Courts
This former recreation ground will be getting some care and attention through the project as a pocket park - a little pocket of habitat that acts as a stepping stone for wildlife to move through a larger network of nature. We will remove turf and sow seeds to turn this into lowland meadow, a habitat with a greater variety of wildflower and insect species. Residents will be able to enjoy summer wildflowers like oxeye daisy and common knapweed.

These will also provide a vital food source for pollinators and potentially attract butterflies such as the common blue. Works are starting in Summer 2024, but nature has her own timeline. We expect to see the first signs of wildflowers in 2025, but grasslands such as the one here typically take about five years to fully develop.

Corporation Street
The land previously used as a bowling green on Corporation Street will be turned into vibrant lowland meadow, a habitat with a greater variety of wildflower and insect species. This little pocket park will act as a stepping stone for wildlife to move through a larger network of nature in the urban area.

We will remove existing turf and plant wildflower seed, and we’ll plan an appropriate mowing schedule for the local council so blooms can be enjoyed by local residents and passing people. Works are starting in Summer 2024, but nature has her own timeline. We expect to see the first signs of wildflowers in 2025, but grasslands such as the one here typically take about five years to fully develop.

After an initial research phase of completing surveys, contacting contractors, and deep diving into work plans, The Stafford Brooks project is ready to start the delivery of conservation works on eight key sites across Stafford. These sites have been identified through the initial research phase as the very best places to receive benefits from this crucial funding contribution from National Highways.

You can read more about the kinds of conservation work you will see in our latest blog.

Read more