At the heart of the Forest of Marston Vale in Bedfordshire, the Forest Centre & Millennium Country Park is run almost entirely on renewable energy.

And now STIHL has recently donated a cordless telescopic pole pruner, chainsaw and two hedge trimmers to the Forest of Marston Vale Trust that will be charged and run completely renewably using electricity from their on-site wind turbine and solar panels.


STIHL's PR and Communications Manager extraordinaire (who very sadly leaves the company today), Rebecca Rassie (centre) with Anna Charles and James Russell (Marston Vale)

The Forest of Marston Vale is one of England's 12 Community Forests, designated by Government in 1991 and which together form the country's largest environmental regeneration initiative. Community Forests use trees and woodlands to transform landscapes and the natural environment to stimulate economic and social regeneration. The Forest of Marston Vale covers 61 square miles between Bedford and Milton Keynes, an area which has seen tree cover rise from 3% to 15% since the early 1990s. The ultimate goal is 30%, but a new 'Forest' landscape is already taking shape and transforming the area. At the heart of this emerging forest lies the Forest Centre & Millennium Country Park, the flagship site which has held the Green Flag Award for ten years (a benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces).

James Russell, Forest Director with the Forest of Marston Vale, says the donation comes at a great time for the budding organisation.

"We are overwhelmed by this donation from STIHL. It couldn't have come at a better time as we continue to transform this landscape - turning it into somewhere people want to live, work and enjoy their leisure time. These innovative tools will help us manage the growing Forest we're creating, helping to repair a landscape previously scarred by decades of clay extraction, brick making and landfill. It makes sense that a forest of the future is teamed with the tools of the future," says James.

Simon Hewitt, Head of Marketing at STIHL, said, "In the Forest of Marston Vale, where the public are coming to enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of the new woodlands, these are the perfect tools for the job as they won't disrupt the visitor's experience."

The Forest Centre & Millennium Country Park receives around 500,000 visits a year and is managed by independent charity, The Forest of Marston Vale Trust. The Forest Centre boasts a lakeside café, a sensory wildlife garden, children's play areas and a gift shop, whilst also serving as the operational base for the Trust.

Tony Crofts, from the Forest of Marston Vale's Ranger team, says the new tools add to the Forest's green credentials and are already proving themselves on the job.

"We're used to using petrol machines to do our clearing, trimming and everyday maintenance. But now that we've started using the battery kit, there's no looking back. They're extremely light weight which means we can work with them for longer periods and in terms of noise we used to be able to hear someone using a petrol chainsaw on the far side of the park, but we can barely hear the cordless one. We want the whole STIHL battery range now!" says Tony.