A £1.25 million fundraising appeal to buy a Lake District forest has reached its target.
Cumbria Wildlife Fund launched the appeal early last month to buy Skiddaw Forest, following the launch of a major public appeal.
It can now complete the purchase of what will be England’s highest nature reserve, including the summit of Skiddaw.
The wildlife charity had already secured £5 million, thanks to a long-term partnership between the Wildlife Trusts and Aviva, and additional support from charitable funders.
Now that the public has donated the shortfall, Cumbria Wildlife Trust can start planning the restoration of the site, it said.
This will include bringing back 620 acres of lost Atlantic rainforest to the lower slopes of Skiddaw Forest.
In addition, over 2,200 acres of other habitat will be restored including montane scrub, wildflower grassland, heather moorland and 992 acres of peatbogs.
Stephen Trotter, CEO of Cumbria Wildlife Trust, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that we’ve met our target, and so quickly, thanks to the incredible generosity of thousands of people who have donated to the Skiddaw Forest appeal in the last six weeks or so.
“We’ve been bowled over by the public’s generosity, and by how many people want to be part of Skiddaw Forest’s future. It’s been really quite overwhelming to read their messages coming in, and to appreciate how much they want to help secure this unique landscape and protect it for nature.
“No matter how small, we hugely appreciate every single donation. Thank you, everyone. Each and every donation will help to make a massive difference to wildlife in Cumbria.
“The development of Skiddaw Forest gives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put nature firmly into recovery on a vast scale. We’re very grateful to Aviva and other funders for their support and we’re now looking forward to completing the purchase and getting on with the exciting work of creating and restoring England’s highest nature reserve.
“This is a long-term project which will develop over a century or so, and we’re looking forward to working with local communities, farmers, volunteers and others to make this vision a reality.”
Stephen said while the Skiddaw Forest purchase was now secure, fundraising will continue for the restoration work on the site.
The charity’s vision is to create a mosaic of healthy, resilient and revitalised mountain habitats. The 620 acres of temperate rainforest will be created with native trees that are adapted to live in an upland landscape. Due to the altitude of planting, the trees will be low-growing and fit sympathetically with the aesthetics of the landscape.
Cumbria Wildlife Trust will also restore 992 acres of peatland to a healthy and functioning condition, to lock away carbon and reduce flood risk downstream.
It will recreate high-altitude scrub and alpine-like grassland across 120 acres, returning habitat that’s almost entirely missing from the English uplands. Juniper and a variety of willow species will grow in the harsh conditions of the exposed areas beneath the summits.
The first work to get underway will be carrying out detailed, in-depth surveys of the site, before any restoration work can take place, along with checking and making good 14 kilometres of fencing and boundaries around the site.
Cumbria Wildlife Trust is currently recruiting a Skiddaw Forest Project Manager to develop the ambitious restoration project, and following its recent call-out for volunteers the charity was inundated with requests from people wanting to get involved.
Training of seed-collecting volunteers is already well underway, so that the volunteers will be ready to starting collect native seeds from local fells this autumn and spring. The seeds will be taken to new tree-growing hubs in Plumgarths near Kendal, Cold Springs Community Nature Reserve in Penrith, and a site near Keswick where the saplings will be grown on, before eventually forming part of the new temperate rainforest at Skiddaw.
To contribute to the restoration of Skiddaw Forest, go to https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/skiddaw-forest or call Cumbria Wildlife Trust on 01539 816300.
