The iconic 1700 acre Smithills Estate, steeped in history and shadowed by the famous Winter Hill TV mast, is a rich mosaic of grassland, moorland and bog habitats.
Now the Woodland Trust has launched a £8.5m conservation scheme to protect the threatened upland habitat which says the trust is a landscape on the edge, damaged and degraded by centuries of exploitation by man.
The trust says that if the area is not taken under their ownership, there is a danger it will be broken up and sold on into further unsuitable management.
The precious upland ecosystem has been neglected, overgrazed and mismanaged, reducing its biodiversity and leaving wildlife vulnerable.
The estate has always been rich in wildlife, but beloved species such as the brown hare, lapwing and common lizard are all falling in numbers.
The trust plans to double the native woodland at the estate by planting in ravines, converting non-native conifer woodland and scattering trees and copses across the slopes.
In 1896, more than 30 years before the famous Kinder Scout mass trespass, 10,000 people took to the moors of Smithills, demanding their right to access this incredibly beautiful place, which was at risk of being closed off for grouse shooting.
Beccy Speight, Woodland Trust chief executive“We believe protecting and enhancing this incredible place is vitally important for the whole nation.”
To find out how you can help to protect the area go to https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/donate/smithills/
