New round of tree planting keeps Morden Park on the up and up

Another round of tree planting took place at Morden Park at the weekend – helping to create more habitats and greenery for future years at the much-loved open space.

Saturday’s blitz was the fourth such event in the park since Merton Friends of the Earth started the project of boosting the park’s biodiversity in 2020 during the Covid pandemic.

Each time volunteers plant 420 trees, consisting of hawthorn, hazel, silver birch, rowan, English oak and blackthorn saplings.

The trees are supplied for free to community groups like Merton Friends of the Earth by the Woodland Trust, the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity.

The saplings are selected with the aim of promoting woodland wildlife by providing food sources and habitats for a range of birds, insects and small mammals, like dormice and squirrels.

The group were joined on the day by Mary-Jane Jeanes, co-ordinator of Merton Tree Wardens and Paul Kohler, MP for Wimbledon.

Mr Kohler said: “Many thanks to Merton Friends of the Earth for all your hard work planting and maintaining saplings in Morden Park and for inviting me along today.”

Gabriel Partos, joint co-ordinator of Merton Friends of the Earth said: “We are grateful to the dozens of volunteers of all ages who have now planted over 1,600 trees in Morden Park in four years. We couldn’t have achieved this without the generous support of the Woodland Trust.

“We also appreciate the help of Merton council and their green spaces contractors, Idverde, whose staff prepare the ground and provide mulch before each planting.”

Alexander Butt, who joined Merton Friends of the Earth volunteers at the tree planting for the first time, said: “I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday.”

Pictured top: Doing their bit were Callum Flannery, seven, and Hannah Flannery, three, seen here, holding up saplings (Picture: Auriel Glanville)