Chester Zoo plants 5,200 trees beside M53 in fungi growth experiment
Chester Zoo has planted 5,200 native trees on land beside the M53 as part of an experiment to test whether soil fungi can help young trees establish faster on degraded ground.
A third of the saplings were planted with experimental pellets buried alongside their roots.
The pellets contain mycorrhizal fungi, which bond naturally with tree roots and provide some protection against soil-borne diseases.
Researchers want to see whether the fungi help the trees grow more quickly on former farmland, which makes up much of the zoo’s 265-hectare estate.
The new woodland covers more than five hectares, roughly the size of 40 Olympic swimming pools, on a section of zoo land next to the motorway.
It builds on nine hectares of woodland created on the estate in 2024.
The project is a partnership between Chester Zoo, The Mersey Forest and the Environment Agency, with funding from the UK Government’s Trees for Climate Fund.
Lauren Taylor, woodland advisor for The Mersey Forest, said: “It’s fantastic to be working in collaboration with Chester Zoo on another woodland creation project. We can’t wait to see this latest woodland become established and transform this area of the zoo’s estate.”
Around 200 British tree species and woody shrubs have been planted, including pedunculate oak, downy birch, wild cherry and alder.
The estate is already home to tawny owls and brown long-eared bats, both of which use woodland for nesting and roosting.
Ruby Merriman, estate biodiversity manager at Chester Zoo, said the planting was a step towards a target of managing 30 per cent of the estate for biodiversity by 2030.
She said: “Creating larger areas of woodland across the estate increases nesting, roosting and feeding opportunities for wildlife, and the woodland glades will offer even more habitat for butterflies, birds, bats and more.”
Volunteers from the Environment Agency helped plant the trees during corporate volunteering days, alongside external volunteers coordinated through the zoo’s Networks for Nature project.
Katherine Causer, environment programme manager at the Environment Agency, said: “We have helped create a living legacy: new woodland that will strengthen local biodiversity, store carbon, and protect our communities for generations to come.”
The announcement was made on Friday, International Day for Biological Diversity.
The project aligns with the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Cheshire, The Mersey Forest Plan and the Networks for Nature project led by Chester Zoo.
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