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Cheshire’s wildlife is enjoying the county’s newest woodland thanks to Chester Zoo’s biggest habitation project ever.

Almost 19,000 trees have been planted on the zoo’s land in Upton in Chester, transforming low-biodiversity silage field into a major new sanctuary for UK wildlife.

Spanning more than nine hectares, it's one of the largest tree planting projects to take place in Cheshire in several years.

The initiative forms part of a wider wildlife corridor across the region. Conservationists at the zoo hope the new woodland will provide a home for a variety of plants and animals, as well as improving soil health and carbon storage to help fight climate change.

They say the location has been specially selected to link two smaller woods, forming one continuous woodland, which will help to improve habitat connectivity for local wildlife and increase the woodland’s resistance to pests and diseases.

A diverse mix of UK native broadleaf trees species, including oak, beech and hazel, have been planted to provide high biodiversity benefits and resilience to climate change, while the layout has been designed to include meadow rides and glades which will help species such as butterflies, small mammals and birds.

Once upon a time, woodland once covered large areas of Cheshire. However, this important type of habitat has now largely gone as the human population of the area has grown and the building of homes, railways and roads, agricultural expansion, pollution, invasive species and disease has taken its toll.

Dr Simon Dowell, Director of Science and Policy at Chester Zoo, said: “Woodland cover in Cheshire is significantly lower than the national average. That’s why it’s so important, and so exciting, to have created such a valuable new habitat here at the zoo.

“Once established, this woodland will provide a richer and more diverse habitat for a range of species, drawing in the likes of green woodpeckers, badgers, harvest mice and butterflies such as the speckled wood.

“Its location was carefully chosen to link two existing but much smaller woods, forming a continuous woodland which spans almost 13 hectares in total. With hedgerows adjacent to the woodland edge, it’ll enable wildlife to move through the landscape much more safely."

The zoo’s tree planting project contributes to Cheshire West and Chester’s Nature Recovery Strategy – a plan to help wildlife thrive, improve the ecological network and target investment in nature in the region.

Jennifer Kelly, Chester Zoo’s Head of Sustainability, said: “The climate and biodiversity crises are intrinsically linked and must be tackled together. Woodlands and forests are critical to this. Trees absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as well as helping us adapt to the effects of climate change.

“They also have huge benefits to soil health, water and air quality and biodiversity, providing stable ecosystems where wildlife can thrive. It’s estimated that the new woodland at Chester Zoo will store around 2,400 tonnes of carbon over its lifetime, whilst providing a haven for some of our most precious UK species.”