Foraging pigs helping to restore forest

Conservation pigs have been used to churn up the ground for tree planting

Pigs are helping to reintroduce native trees to a forest.

Volunteers have been taking part in a restoration project at Hardknott Forest, in the Lake District, to replace non-native trees with a biodiverse habitat.

Part of that includes using "conservation pigs", which help to break up compacted soil and reduce invasive species.

Members of the outdoor and LGBT charity OutdoorLads helped Forestry England and the University of Leeds with the initiative and said the animals were "unexpected but brilliant".

Hardknott Forest is a 600 hectare (1,482 acre) conifer plantation which was planted in the 1930s, despite local opposition.

After consultation, Forestry England decided to restore the area to native habitats of oak and birch woodland, bogs and open ground.

Pigs naturally churn up the ground and remove invasive species while foraging, making the area more suitable for planting trees.

Hardknott Forest is being restored with native plant species

Bryan Cosgrove, from OutdoorLads, said it was "incredibly rewarding to be part of such an important project in the heart of Cumbria".

"Seeing so many volunteers come together to help restore this landscape was fantastic," he said.

"The conservation pigs were an unexpected part of the process - they play a key role in preparing the ground for rewilding by naturally clearing invasive plants."