Half-way Mark for Swinley Forest Replant

29 February 2012, 08:34 | Updated: 29 February 2012, 08:45

36-thousand trees have now been planted to replace parts of Swinley Forest that burned down in wildfires during record-breaking temperatures last Spring.

Volunteers have planted 6,000 of those, with the rest done by professionals and the Forestry Commission. They're hoping to hit their total of 60,000 in the next few months.

Hundreds of volunteers have been involved in planting days at Crowthorne. They've helped to enhance wetland habitats removing burnt vegetation and trees from around ponds and wetlands and around mature trees that survived the blaze.

The ponds at Crowthorne are home to great crested newts, frogs, grass snakes, dragonflies and damselflies including the nationally scarce Small Red Damselfly.

The next scheduled volunteer days are on Friday 9 March and Sunday 11 March between 10am and 3pm.