Thousands of native trees have been planted to create a new rainforest - in Devon.

So far, 2,500 native trees have been planted at Devon Wildlife Trust’s Bowden Pillars site, close to Totnes.

The plans are to transform 30 hectares (75 acres) of former sheep-grazed fields into a landscape which will eventually have 70 per cent tree cover, with the rest becoming open glades, woodland rides and wildflower-rich meadows.

The charity plans to plant a further 4,500 trees by the end of this winter bringing the total to 7,000, with more to follow.

In decades to come these new trees will form a temperate rainforest – sometimes also known as an Atlantic or Celtic rainforest – a landscape which was once characteristic of areas of Britain with high rainfall and humidity.

These rainforests covered large parts of Britain, especially its western regions, but after many centuries of destruction today, they amount to just 1 per cent of its land area.

As well as being vital carbon stores, temperate rainforests support a super-abundance of wildlife, including birds such as the pied flycatchers, woodcock and redstarts.

Their damp conditions mean mosses, liverworts, lichens, ferns and fungi thrive on the trees as well as the forest floor.

Claire Inglis a Nature Reserve Officer at Devon Wildlife said: “It’s been a winter in which we’ve battled storms and snow to plant more than 2,500 trees and begin the transformation of Bowden Pillars to a place which offers a home to nature and is a vital resource for local communities.

 "Crucial in this transformation have been local people who have worked so hard in all conditions to get the trees in the ground.

 "The mature temperate rainforest will take several decades to become established, but the gains for nature will be much swifter.

 "The mix of young trees in amongst grass pastures and hedges, along with our commitment not to use pesticides and artificial fertilisers, will be better for local moths, butterflies and bees, along with farmland birds such as yellowhammers and barn owls. It will be fascinating to see how it develops."

The planting project at Bowden Pillars is part of a long-term nationwide rainforest restoration effort by The Wildlife Trusts in partnership with insurance giant Aviva.

 Claudine Blamey, Aviva’s Chief Sustainability Officer, said: “New native trees going into the ground at Bowden Pillars is another significant step forward in our British rainforest project with The Wildlife Trusts.

 "It is truly exciting to see the creation of new areas of this vital habitat, which will help the local community get ready for the future."

The young trees have also been raised from seed locally, many by the Dartmoor-based charity, Moor Trees.

Helen Aldis, Chief Executive of Moor Trees, said: “We’re delighted to be providing Devon Wildlife Trust with over 5,000 locally sourced and grown native trees for planting at Bowden Pillars.

"We hope that by including trees that have adapted to an environment where temperate rainforests thrive, they will bring the same resilience and biodiversity to this vital and ambitious new planting scheme on the edge of Totnes.”