Forest of Feckenham

Further to yesterday's post, more ruminations on the environmental history and future of Mucknell...

Around the middle of the 12th century, the Forest of Feckenham covered most of Worcestershire - including Bromsgrove, Redditch, Evesham and Pershore - with the village of Feckenham at its centre. The forest was reduced in size after 1300, and had become so small by 1608 that the Crown's survey of forests decided to 'disafforest' it; 21 years later, Feckenham ceased to be a royal forest and reverted to common land.

Now there is a scheme to re-establish the Forest of Feckenham, part of a wider vision for biodiversity in the West Midlands. The scheme's benefits include: flood risk management, water quality and ecological improvements, habitat creation and carbon sequestration. One of the first tasks at Mucknell, while the new monastery was being built, was to plant 8,000 trees on the north side, including oak, hazel and ash - a 'Feckenham Forest mix' for which we received funding from the English Woodland Grant Scheme. The main benefits here, in the terms of the scheme, will be habitat creation and carbon sequestration. But we also hope to coppice the woodland as a fuel source and raw material.