Planting the Future: How 1300 Trees Are Helping Grow a Wilder Coton
At the edge of Cambridge, the 200-acre farmland of Cambridge Past, Present & Future’s Coton Reserve is steadily being reimagined, from arable land into a thriving mosaic of woodland, scrub, meadows, wetlands and orchards.
This autumn, that vision is taking a step forward: some 600 of the 1,300 scrub-woodland trees earmarked for Long Green East have now been planted, with plans in place to have the planting complete by Christmas. A recent corporate tree-planting session and work by dedicated volunteers have laid the groundwork for a new green corridor, connecting existing woodland strips and expanding vital habitat beside the Bin Brook.
What and where we planted
The newly planted area lies at Long Green East, W3W. The mix is carefully chosen to create high quality scrub habitat by using a blend of pioneer and lower-growing native species: silver birch, dogwood, hawthorn, wayfaring tree, hazel, guelder rose, spindle, purging buckthorn and crabapple. These species will help establish scrub quickly, support bird and insect life, and knit together with older trees planted 10 years ago. The location is also close to the M11 and the new habitats will provide ‘ecosystem services’ by helping to reduce noise and air pollution from the motorway.
This planting forms a piece of a much larger puzzle. The overarching ambition is to convert the arable farmland into a nature-rich reserve, part of a wider “wild-belt” on the western edge of Cambridge, supporting the aim of the Cambridge Nature Network to double nature across the city by 2050.
Why it matters
Nature restoration & biodiversity: The new scrub and woodland, combined with planned meadows, wetlands and hedgerows, will create layered habitat that supports everything from pollinators and insects to birds and small mammals. Over time, common species will flourish, and rarer species may find a chance to return.
Climate resilience & ecosystem services: New woodland, scrub and wetlands will help to reduce noise and air pollution, sequester carbon, stabilize soil, and slow water runoff, contributing to local flood risk reduction and climate-change mitigation.
Community & well-being: As the farmland at Coton transforms, it will offer green space for people, quiet walks, wildflower meadows buzzing with insects, woodland dappled with bird song, and pond or stream habitats teeming with life. The aim is a meaningful reconnection between people and place; a living, breathing nature reserve for Cambridge to enjoy.
What’s next
A corporate planting session with ARM is scheduled for Wednesday 3 Dec 2025; tentative planning suggests the initial 1,300-tree phase will be completed before Christmas. If some remain, volunteers will return on 9 December to finish.
Once that’s done, attention will turn to a second phase: replanting across 12 Acres Field and Manor Field to replace trees lost during the dry summer. This offers further opportunity for volunteers to get involved in the evolving landscape.
Meanwhile, the broader scheme continues: woodland, meadows, wetlands and orchards, part of a long-term transformation under the Wilder Coton Appeal. As each new habitat takes root, Coton Reserve moves closer to becoming the “wild-belt” envisioned on the western flank of Cambridge.
Coton is becoming a sanctuary. A place where former farmland is slowly loosening back into life, growing wilder and more diverse with each season. Around the hills and old hedgelines, new woodland and scrub are taking root. Meadows are being restored. And wild orchards will be emerging, that inviting pollinators, birds and people into a gentler rhythm of nature and belonging.
The long-term vision is a living mosaic of habitats that hold space for wildlife to return, while offering Cambridge a place of quiet renewal. Coton Reserve is evolving into a wild refuge on the edge of the city for people and nature to thrive.
