A NEW woodland is to be created near the Kingston Lacy estate to commemorate the life of the late Queen, Elizabeth II.

The National Trust team at the estate, near Wimborne, has collaborated with conservation charity Trees for Dorset on the project.

A total of 96 oak trees will be planted – one for each year of the Queen’s life – at Shapwick on Saturday (November 18).

The oaks were supplied by Trees for Dorset and grown by Rosie and John Palmer, from second-generation acorns collected by them from the Major Oak in Sherwood Forest.

The iconic tree, between 800 and 1,000 years old, was voted Woodland Trust’s Tree of the Year in the 2014.

Residents of Shapwick have been invited to come together with National Trust staff and volunteers, and volunteers from Trees for Dorset, to plant the oaks and sign a commemorative book that will be sent to King Charles III.

Eleanor Egan, countryside manager at Kingston Lacy, said: “We were delighted to be able to make this land available.

“We have some pretty big tree-planting ambitions at Kingston Lacy – we are planning to plant more than 9,000 trees next year, because of the importance of trees not only as a source of food and shelter for wildlife but also as a means of locking up atmospheric carbon.

“But trees also carry huge emotional importance, and we hope these saplings will develop into a woodland that will be enjoyed by many generations to come.”

Rachel Palmer, former chair at Trees for Dorset, said: “In the words of Richard St Barbe Baker, founder of the International Tree Foundation from which Trees for Dorset sprang, this prestigious planting is a real ‘togetherness effort’, with the National Trust providing land, care, planters and expertise, Trees for Dorset providing the trees, expertise and planters, and Dorset Council providing protection for the trees.

“Planters and volunteers who come from across Dorset will be able to sign the lovely commemorative book.”

The woodland will be a community amenity and extended next year, with further planting of orchard and woodland trees.