On 9 February, a team of six from Rossborough, part of Gallagher, one of the world’s largest insurance brokers, worked with Jersey Trees for Life to plant trees and hedgerows as part of the Mont Vibert Wilding Project.
Jersey Trees for Life is a charity committed to planting, conserving, and protecting trees in Jersey whilst raising awareness of their ecological and social importance. Its Mont Vibert Wilding Project at Cotil de Vibert, which Rossborough began supporting in 2023, focuses on re-wilding and preserving indigenous tree species, creating a biodiverse woodland tolerant of the effects of global warming and also attracting bees and other local wildlife.
Alex Morel, Chief Executive Officer at Jersey Trees for Life, said, ‘We were delighted to have the Rossborough team support us at the Cotil de Vibert site. It was affected by recent storms which damaged its fence as well as taking down a couple of trees. We decided the best course of action would be to replace the fence with a hedgerow whilst continuing with our plans to plant new native trees and plants within the wood.’
‘It was fantastic to have the Rossborough team there for this big activity. In total, there is about 30m of hedgerow, which would equate to 453 trees in total (444 whips and nine potted trees). The team also helped to plant a selection of other trees around the area, creating a woodland comprising oak, field maple, holly, cherry, hazel and chestnut. These are to replace the old sycamores, which are non-native. Native trees like these provide superior habitat for local wildlife in comparison to sycamores.’
Business Development Executive, Stephen Rafferty, said: ‘Taking care of our community and environment is absolutely key to our principles here at Rossborough. We were thrilled to be involved with planting so many new trees and the hedgerow, which will have a significant impact on the local ecosystem. As regular volunteers, the woodland means a lot to our team and it is extremely rewarding to see it flourish.’
In the future, the project will see Sangan Island Conservation conduct a second biodiversity survey of the Cotil. Other plans include creating a wildflower meadow area, another aid to biodiversity both for the flora and fauna of the area.