Come join our Science Day at West Berkshire Community Hospital – 19 May 2023

On 19 May 2023, we’re hosting a Science Day at our Tiny Forest at West Berkshire Community Hospital. Berkshire Healthcare staff, alongside a team from the charity Earthwatch, will be taking part in biodiversity research – and we would love for members of the local community to join us and help contribute to this important research.

The Tiny Forest at West Berkshire Community Hospital was planted in 2021. A Tiny Forest is an urban forest up to 30 times denser than conventional tree planting and so maximises the benefits per square metre of land, while having low management requirements, once established. The key environmental benefits of a Tiny Forest include the absorption of between 450-600kg of carbon per year, flood risk mitigation, and noise reduction.

During the Science Day, data will be collected on the following four research topics:

Carbon capture: monitoring tree species, height, diameter, and mortality
Biodiversity: monitoring butterflies, pollinators, and ground dwellers
Flood management: monitoring infiltration rate, soil moisture, soil compaction, soil texture and soil colour
Thermal comfort: monitoring air temperature, humidity, wind speed and personal experience

The data will be used to assess how the age of the forest, species composition, forest design and geographic location affect these benefits.

Get involved

Would you like to get involved? There are two slots to choose from:

11:30 am – 1:00 pm
2:00 am – 3:30 pm