For the first time in three years there was no planting on the site through April, May and June and, with 18,000 trees still needing to be planted, the return to a semblance of normality couldn’t come soon enough.

Returning to the site after lockdown, Steven Lipscombe, Kielderhead Wildwood Officer is delighted to report that, on the open heather moorland along the Scaup Burn, the young alder and birch trees, planted over the past three years are beginning to emerge from the tops of their plastic tubes, in some cases, three or four foot above.

In 10 years, they will create thickets of woodland among the heather clad hillside and will continue to mature over the next 100 years.

Over the course of five years, the partnership project between Northumberland Wildlife Trust and Forestry England, made possible thanks to National Lottery players via a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, will have helped to establish a low density, native upland woodland on the site and expand the population of what could be the only few remaining native English Scots Pines in the UK.

Speaking about his return to the site, Steven said: “So much of conservation is about trying to protect what we have and trying to make sure we don’t lose things; this project is about trying to create things and taking a look at what we’re missing, what we could have in the future and taking the opportunity to put something back out there.”

“Although there was no tree planting this year, at the end of 2019, 12,000 trees had been planted on site which is a great achievement. We will be back on-site planting again one day.”

Anybody wanting to know more about the project or wants to get involved should contact Steven at steven.lipscombe@northwt.org.uk.