Trees feature in Cornwall naval station perimeter fence

Trees will help to shield the base along the perimeter fence

A Royal Navy base in Cornwall has planted 6,500 trees as part of a "major sustainability drive".

RNAS Culdrose near Helston is planting the trees as part of a project to replace nine miles (14km) of perimeter fence, using trees to screen the base.

It is hoped the scheme will also provide wildlife habitats.

Captain Stuart Irwin, the commanding officer of RNAS Culdrose, said he wanted to plant "as many trees as possible".

He said: "Whilst this project is primarily to provide the security required of a military base, playing our part in addressing sustainability and climate change is key to all of our security in the long term.

Commanding officer Captain Stuart Irwin (left) was keen for trees to form part of the fence

"When we were discussing the project to replace the air station's fence, I made it clear that I wanted to plant as many trees as possible.

"I have to commend the team as they have completely excelled in that regard."

Planting began this year with 3,000 trees on the edge of the sports field used by RNAS Culdrose Football Club.

Another 1,500 trees have been planted to the north of the airfield, while an extra 2,000 have now gone alongside the main road beside the workshops and aircraft hangars known as W-Site.

A mixture of native tree types have been planted and species including the wild service tree, hornbeam, hazel, birch, grey alder, field maple, rowan, tilia cordata, bird cherry, sea buckthorn and wild pear.

The project is a collaboration between the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, Navy Command Infrastructure, VIVO Defence Services Ltd and the RNAS Culdrose Infrastructure Team.

Jerry Moloney, VIVO Defence Services' managing director, said: "Replacing and rebuilding a nine-mile security fence at a military base as strategically important as RNAS Culdrose is a mammoth and important task, and I am pleased that sustainability and the environment are very much at the heart of this project."

Plans are also in place to install one of the navy's decommissioned Hawk jets on public display beside the main road to The Lizard.