A WOODLAND which has suffered a number of tree falls due to close planting is set to benefit from a restoration scheme.

Durham Wildlife Trust’s Heart of Durham Project has teamed up with Wolsingham Parish Council to restore Thornley Wood.

The 1.5-hectare woods are tucked into the hillside below Tow Law, within an easy walk from the town centre.

The site was planted with fir trees almost 30 years ago, but fallen trees have piled on top of each other, posing a safety risk and blocking paths.

This year, Wolsingham Parish Council took action and hired contractors to clear the area.

With the help of Durham Wildlife Trust’s Heart of Durham Project volunteers and other community groups the woodland will be replanted.

The partnership has been awarded a community tree pack of 102 saplings from the Woodland Trust Grant to start planting the site with native woodland trees in the autumn.

Once restored with native trees of rowan, ash, birch, hazel, hawthorn and crab apple it will provide an area for wildlife, with views across the Wear Valley for people to walk through.