Black Country Urban Forest
The Black Country Urban Forest (BCUF) is a project to make urban
It is not a forest in the modern sense of a large area of managed woodland. It is closer to the old concept of a Royal forest – a large area of land with many different land uses and activities, except that instead of being dedicated to the enjoyment of the privileged few, the BCUF is an amenity for all the people, from all backgrounds, that live in it.
Origins
The BCUF resulted from the “Millennium Forest”, the most ambitious urban forestry project ever undertaken in the UK – a huge program of urban tree planting and management of urban woodlands, creating a tremendous increase in the area of woodland in the area.
The Black Country (the part of the
Development
The successful project, “Treeways”, focused on transport corridors in the area, and acted as a pilot. The four voluntary sector principals in this project –
As well as tree planting and woodland management, woodland based businesses were supported, events and activities organised to engage local communities and studies of the area's biodiversity were carried out.
The Millennium Forest project was funded by the UK's
A similar and wider project was started in 2006/7, the £50m Black Country Urban Park.
Responsibility for the Black Country Urban Forest is now shared between Groundwork Black Country and the landowners, each of whom entered into a 99-year deed of dedication, a legal agreement with the Millennium Commission.