Young people in Glasgow urged to plant ‘wee forests’ in 3 Southside spots

Around 1800 native trees will be planted by ‘wee foresters’ in three areas the size of tennis courts.

Capable of attracting over 500 animal and plant species within the first three years, the forests will be looked after by volunteer Tree Keeper Teams and nearby schools will use them for outdoor learning.

What is the Wee Forest scheme?

The Glasgow Southside Wee Forests are part of a £500K Scottish Government funded project, led by NatureScot and co-ordinated by Earthwatch, which sees schools and local communities planting 20 Wee Forests across the country this winter and spring.

The Wee Forests being planted in Glasgow Southside this March are being delivered by the Green Action Trust, in partnership with Glasgow City Council.

Local communities and schools including St Conval's Primary School, Crookston Castle Primary School and Battlefield Primary School will help plant the forests and take part in citizen science activities to raise awareness of climate change and the value of urban trees.

This will include monitoring the butterflies that use the forests, calculating the amount of carbon captured and measuring the impact that trees have on slowing down the run-off from rainstorms.

Upcoming events

You can join the Green Action Trust at one of their planting events in Glasgow:

Shawhill Park, Rossendale Road on Monday, March 21, from 3pm to 6pm

Towerside Crescent near Crookston Castle on Thursday, March 24, from 2pm to 5pm

Queens Park Recreation Ground on Friday, March 25, from 3pm to 6pm

To sign up to help at a planting event, click HERE.

To volunteer or become a Tree Keeper to help with the long-term monitoring of these forests, email [email protected].

‘Great places to enjoy’

Karen Morrison, NatureScot Wee Forests project officer, said: “It’s wonderful to see Glasgow’s network of Wee Forests expanding across the city. These three new forests will bring many benefits to the people of Glasgow Southside.

“They’re great places to enjoy spending time in nature, with all the mental and physical benefits that brings, as well as to learn about plants and wildlife. They also help tackle nature loss and climate change, contributing to Scotland’s tree planting targets.

“We hope that over the years, these Wee Forests will become places communities will treasure.”

Ujwala Fernandes, project manager for the Connecting Pollokshaws project, said: “It’s great that a Wee Forest is coming to Shawhill Park in Pollokshaws. It will help to raise awareness of climate change and provide the local community with a great opportunity to reconnect with nature and get involved in the planting, care and monitoring of their Wee Forest.

“It will also provide multiple benefits for the local school children and encourage them to learn about the importance of trees and forests in fighting climate change, as well as connect them with their local green spaces.”

Councillor Richardson, city convener for sustainability and carbon reduction, Glasgow City Council, said: “We are delighted to assist with the expansion of the Wee Forest projects across the City.

“As we look to meet our objectives of our Climate Plan, exciting projects such as this, in the heart of our communities, will ensure we continue to improve our environment while providing opportunities for our communities to actively participate in climate related activities.”