30-year Mersey Forest Partnership renewed with future forest plans

Article date: 21 July 2025

The Mersey Forest covers more than 500 square miles in Merseyside and North Cheshire and is one of 15 areas of England to be the focus of a long-term tree planting programme to improve the local environment for the benefit of people, wildlife and the economy.

The council is one of seven council members alongside landowners, the Forestry Commission, Natural England, the Environment Agency, businesses, and local communities who make up The Mersey Forest Partnership.

The Mersey Forest Partnership was formed in 1991 to originally tackle the scars on the area's post-industrial landscape and use woodlands to help change perceptions of Merseyside and north Cheshire.

Over the past 34 years, the Mersey Forest Partnership has:

• Created 3,900 hectares of new woodland.
• Planted nearly 10 million trees.
• Improved woodland management across the Mersey Forest area.
• Engaged local communities in environmental improvements.

Looking ahead, there is that same sense of urgency about how more trees can be planted to help tackle the environmental and climate crisis. The long-term programme of the Partnership delivers a wide range of benefits, including:

• Contributing to net zero targets through carbon capture.
• Enabling nature recovery, habitat creation and enhanced connectivity supporting biodiversity improvements.
• Enhancing green spaces, improving health and wellbeing, particularly focused in less affluent areas.
• Leveraging significant external investment to support the delivery of local priorities.

These plans will directly support the delivery of council priorities and policies including the Climate Change Action Plan, Active Lives Strategy, St Helens People's Plan and the emerging Open Spaces Strategy.

Councillor Tracy Dickinson, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Environmental Services, said: "St Helens was a founding member of the Mersey Forest Partnership and for the past 30 years the borough has seen massive benefits from our active participation, such as new woodlands being created across the borough, expanded footpaths in the Bold Forest Park area, preservation of Griffin Wood and supporting Colliers Moss North through the Mersey Forest Green Task Force volunteers, whose involvement has been instrumental in maintaining and improving the area, fostering a sense of community ownership and environmental management and supporting our rich biodiversity.

"The partnership will continue to bring investment in to our borough's green spaces, supporting our work to plant more trees to nurture our diverse ecosystems - backing our commitment to making the borough greener and providing wonderful green spaces for residents that help us all #LoveStHelens."

Paul Nolan, Director of The Mersey Forest, said: "St Helens Borough Council have been a key member of The Mersey Forest Partnership since the early 1990s. Working together, we are increasing green space and access to nature for local communities, bringing benefits for people's health and wellbeing, boosting biodiversity and helping the area adapt to a changing climate.

"We have some wonderful sites in the area, which as they mature and develop offer fantastic space for outdoor recreation. Our newly developed Forest Plan focuses on connecting more people with trees, woodlands and nature. We are working with our council colleagues to develop planting schemes for delivery this coming winter. We also continue to work with the council to make biodiversity and infrastructure improvements across Bold Forest Park through the Omega Section 106 funding."

Read the report here: The Mersey Forest Partnership