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Northumberland's Wildlife Habitats Show Improvement27/03/2008 15:57:04March 2008. Major progress has been made in protecting some of North East England’s most threatened wildlife and habitats and the future is bright for wood production. But more needs to be done to green the region’s urban spaces. These are some of the conclusions of a report charting progress in implementing the North East’s Regional Forest Strategy, which was launched in 2005. Red Squirrel Conservation The document says that 60 key projects have been completed over the past two years and a further 100 are either planned or on-going. Significant advances have been made in conserving red squirrels where an alliance of organisations, backed by grants from Defra and £626,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, are bidding to stem the tide of grey squirrels.  Over 375 acres of the Border Mires in Northumberland, England’s biggest upland bog, have been restored by removing conifers and blocking drainage channels. And there are also the green shoots of recovery for vulnerable ancient woodlands, which date back at least 400 years. Improving their condition remains a top priority after a survey revealed that over half of those in Northumberland were in a poor condition. However, more restoration schemes are planned and further condition surveys are now needed elsewhere in the region. Urban Woodlands More needs to be done to expand urban fringe woodlands, which offer major benefits to local communities, and create more green spaces in housing and commercial developments. Despite this, 200 acres of new woodland was planted around towns and cities using Forestry Commission grants. Richard Pow of the Forestry Commission said: ‘Overall the picture is pretty encouraging and an impressive range of projects are underway to ensure we maximise the benefits from our trees and woodlands. This report shows just how much has already been achieved, but it lays down markers where we need to do better.’
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