Broom Hill in Hadleigh is among woodland benefitting from a joint bid by a number of Suffolk's authorities has secured funding from the Forestry Commission to plant around 3,000 trees this coming planting season.

Suffolk County Council submitted the bid on behalf of itself, Babergh , Mid Suffolk, and West Suffolk district council and Ipswich Borough Council.

The successful bid will see £149,712.55 come into the county for new trees, from the Local Authority Treescapes Fund.

The fund targets treescapes that have been neglected or suffered damage in the past, including disused and vacant community spaces and those affected by tree diseases such as ash dieback.

The locations are chosen where they are likely to be experienced directly by people, as well as on improving the age structure of trees in all the project areas.

Broom Hill, owned by Babergh, is former quarry now covered with woodland, grassland and scrub, many ancient trees, together with pollarded oaks and small-leaved limes, with access by a footpath from Riverside Walk..

Babergh councillor Elisabeth Malvisi, cabinet member for climate change, biodiversity and sustainable transport at Babergh District Council said "Improving tree coverage in our district, with the right sort of trees in the right places, is one of the key elements of our Biodiversity Action Plan.

"We all recognise that trees are vital not only in supporting our communities' health and wellbeing, but in providing habitat for our wildlife so necessary to our joint survival.

"The funding will play a significant role in helping us achieve this, by enabling us to build on our work already underway to map, in detail, the tree coverage as well as the all-important existing and potential wildlife corridors in Babergh."

One of the interesting methods being adopted to re-establish woodland as part of this project, is the Miyawaki method.

It is regarded as one of the most effective tree planting methods for creating cover quickly on neglected land, or land that has previously been used for construction or agriculture. It uses natural principles, such as using trees already native to the area and replicating natural regeneration processes, and is particularly effective in the urban environment.

One example of tree-planting with this project, is the planting of over 100 trees at Needham Lake. The lake is actually a flooded gravel pit close to Needham Market, with part of the site a nature reserve with wetland areas, meadows and a small woodland. The project will create an area of wet woodland alongside the river to link two small, wooded areas together. The trees will include Alder, Downy Birch, White and Grey Willow.

The planting will also contribute to Suffolk's commitment to support the Queen's Green Canopy project. Suffolk is working towards linking up existing woodland with the planting of new trees and hedges to connect communities and encourage natural corridors for biodiversity, aiming to plant a tree for every resident.

Councillor Richard Rout, cabinet member for finance and environment at Suffolk County Council, said: "I'm delighted to have secured this funding, as it means Suffolk will benefit from even more tree planting this coming season and we can make more progress towards the county's joint ambition of Net Zero by 2030.

"We are also supporting our wildlife and biodiversity, and offering more green spaces for people to get in touch with nature and support their health and wellbeing.

"Last year, the county council committed £228,000 to treeplanting and hedgerows, with 100,000 planted already and the same amount to be planted this coming season. With the Suffolk Tree Warden Network, we are following the 'right tree, right place' policy, to be sure that the planting is effective and has the best chance of establishing itself."