IN Focus : The Orchard Project

Tree Action MCR is all about planting more trees, big and small, across the City. 

Did you know there are already around 60 community orchards and fruit tree groves dotted around Manchester?

 As part of TAMCR the Orchard Project,  the only National Environmental Charity specialising in Orchard management and training, will be working with communities in Manchester to plant and manage new orchards. Dan Hasler from the Orchard Project tells us more..

"Upon being selected to work on TAMCR, were pleased to say that despite the challenges of Covid, furlough and  a cold, wet winter we are making great progress. 

The first of our online, virtual design sessions began in January, working with the Friends of Platt Fields Park. Here we will decide upon 12 new fruit trees for the park and will likely lead to a longer conversation as they have extra budget to spend and offers of some interesting additional planting to include rare trees such as quince, mulberry, walnut and  even sharon fruit". 

"We used our in-house developed 'Orchard Design Kit' (ODK) to host this session in a covid-safe way. Fully online, using the power of the Google Earth desktop application, this will give more than just a bird's eye view of the park, as by the end of the session we can send a virtual camera through the trees and get a three dimensional view of our space. The hope to to create new 'Pocket Orchards' on the southern side of the park, on the Platt Lane side, see pic below". 

"We are then finalising dates for similar design sessions for Kenworthy Orchard Northenden and will be introduced to groups we will be planting with in Delamere Park in Openshaw and Parkway Fields, Chorlton Park in the coming days. 

We hope to have all designs completed by the end of February and planting will commence in March 2021.

Once completed a year-long programme of additional training, planting and celebrations will commence for local people to engage with nature, biodiversity and orchard culture. 2021 will certainly be 'fruitful'!