Bluestone to Plant Wales First Diamond Wood
Wales’ first Diamond Wood, a project to create 60 woodlands throughout the UK celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, is being planted at Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire.
Bluestone has started planting 35,000 trees at the resort’s 500-acre estate. The project, which will take 12 months to complete, will join together two parts of the ancient Canaston Woods for the first time in centuries, creating 60 acres of new natural woodland habitat.
Planting will continue throughout next year, involving guests and the local community throughout the project. It is the first Diamond Woods projects to start planting in Wales and one of the first to be revealed in the UK.
Sixty new Diamond Woods, each around 60 acres in size, plus hundreds of smaller Jubilee Woods are being created across the UK as part of the Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw’s) ambitious Jubilee Woods project. The aim is to plant six million trees and to involve millions of people in the planting.
Bluestone, a luxury all-weather short-break destination, is expected to be one of just three in Wales and is one of the first to be revealed in the UK. “We’re very privileged to have been chosen as a site for a Diamond Wood,” said William McNamara, CEO of Bluestone.
“We’re a guardian of our local environment and the natural habitat here at Bluestone. It is a fundamental part of why many of our guests come to enjoy time with us, taking in and enjoying the stunning natural surroundings, fauna, wildlife, walks, and spectacular Pembrokeshire countryside.
“The Canaston Woods form an important part of the local countryside and our planting will bring two parts of the woods together for the first time in many hundreds of years.”
Mr McNamara added: “We’re very pleased to be helping mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in such a way. The environment and sustainability are integral to the Bluestone ethos and I can think of no better way of celebrating the Jubilee. It will allow generations of the future to enjoy a natural habitat rich in wildlife.”
A range of native trees is being planted following consultation with the Woodland Trust, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, Wildlife Trust, Countryside Council for Wales, and the Forestry Commission.
They include Ash, Oak, Rowan, Hazel, Wild Cherry, Guelder Rose, Hawthorn, Crab Apple, Field Maple, Common Alder, Downy Birch, Blackthorn, Alder Buckthorn, Elder, Spindle, and Aspen.
The project is being funded by Bluestone with part funding from Forestry Commission Wales through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013. The plan is funded through the Welsh Government and European Union.