Red Rose Forest was one of the two community forests established in England at the beginning of the massive project that was meant to reverse deforestation of metropolitan areas in the country. Since 1991, Red Rose Forest has been the haven for Mancunians who wish to experience the peace and quiet of nature without travelling too much.
In this article, we will tell you more about the history behind Red Rose Forest, along with why it’s so important for the local area and what the future holds for it. Enjoy reading!
History of the Red Rose Forest
Red Rose Forest wasn’t a centuries-old forest frequented by the likes of Robin Hood and his gang, no. In fact, Red Rose Forest was artificially created in 1991 by an initiative to reforest large portions of unused land around metropolitan areas such as Greater Manchester.
The Community Forest Trust partnered with local councils to achieve that goal and Red Rose Forest was one of the two first forests to kick start the countrywide movement for more forests and cleaner air and water.
The forest near Manchester was initially called Greater Manchester Community Forest, but since that name was quite descriptive and not that poetic, a competition was launched in schools in the Greater Manchester area to come up with a better name and we definitely got one – Red Rose Forest.
Soon after Red Rose Forest was established, plans started about how this forest would be developed. The community has always meant to play a big part in the planning of the space since they would be the one benefiting from it. There were immediately initiatives about planting trees on the lot by community groups and schools.
In 1998, the Red Rose Forest Trust was founded in order to finance the project that was the community forest in Greater Manchester. Once the charity was up and running, everyone could contribute to it to speed up the process of forestation in Red Rose Forest. The money donated to the fund would help finance projects, pay staff salaries and acquire plots of land to expand the forest.
In the next few years, the charitable fund helped secure two massive plots of land, namely Viridor Wood and Colliers Wood. At the beginning of the new millennium, an initiative was started whereas 36,000 people grew trees for Red Rose Forest starting from a seed.
In addition, another initiative about planting trees was started in 2002 called “Dedicate a tree” where people could commemorate special occasions and loved ones by planting a tree in Red Rose Forest. Moreover, people from the area were also educated about wood waste and how to reduce it to prevent further deforestation.
There were many other projects over the years to increase the number of trees not only in Red Rose Forest but also in other areas in and around Greater Manchester. For instance, there was the Green Corporate Days, which still exists today, that brings workers from the same company for teambuilding exercises that include making Manchester greener.
Last but not least, the fund associated with Red Rose Forest also ensured that the newly created green spaces and forests could be properly used by the wildlife in the area, kickstarting many projects for conserving and protecting animals like foxes, roe deer and birds such as the song thrush.
The Red Rose Forest Fund had become much bigger than it was originally planned to be. What started as fun for a project meant to create a community forest is now a massive initiative to make Greater Manchester even greater and greener with projects concentrating not only on tree planting and conservation of wildlife, but also on combatting climate change among other goals.
This drove the people behind the fund to launch City of Trees in 2015, in partnership with the Oglesby Trust and Community Forest Trust (CFT), to deliver meaningful environmental change in the region.
How to Get to Red Rose Forest
Red Rose Forest, now also known as City of Trees, can be easily found. If you travel there by car, simply put the name in your GPS app and bingo. If you want to be more environmentally friendly, you can use public transport such as trams or buses X50, City Connect 50, or 245. Alternatively, you can also cycle to the forest.