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7 Mar

The Wave puts down roots with founding copse of trees

by The Wave Team

The first copse of trees has been planted at our site. The saplings have been grown from seed by our Head of Sustainability, Chris Hines MBE, and The Wave Founder, Nick Hounsfield. These symbolic trees are the first of more than 7,500 that will be planted on the site this year alone. A further 8,500 trees will be planted over the next few years as part of the project’s commitment to increasing biodiversity.


The first of thousands of trees

Chris Hines said: 'Ever since the idea of The Wave came about seven years ago, I’ve been planting a few tree seeds every year. It feels wonderfully fitting that this copse of oaks and horse chestnuts are the first of thousands of trees to be planted at The Wave.

'Trees are brilliant in so many ways. They are an essential part of our ecosystem and natural world. They take CO2 from the air and turn it into oxygen and help offset our carbon footprints. They provide goodness for the soil, habitats for creatures and other plants, and they look beautiful! They are also a marker of time – I have trees in my garden that I planted 36 years ago as 3-year-old whips. They are now 30 feet tall and will outlive us all.'

Guided by nature

Nick Hounsfield added: 'We are guided by nature and our vision for the project has always been of a place where you can get back in touch with the natural world. Trees are a big part of this. The site was originally a grass field with limited biodiversity, but by planting trees and hedgerows we will dramatically improve the numbers of birds, butterflies and insects on the site.

'This founding copse, and the thousands of other trees that will be planted to form the woodland on site, will grow as the project grows. I’d love to think that one day my children will bring their children to play with conkers from these very trees or collect acorns to plant and start the whole cycle again.'

As well as planting around 16,000 trees, the project will also create 425m of new species-rich native hedgerow and over six hectares of native meadow grassland.