Princess Royal unveils Diamond Jubilee Wood plaque

Princess Anne planted the first tree of 300,000 at the site

The Princess Royal has unveiled a plaque to open the site of a new 460-acre (186ha) wood in Leicestershire.

The princess also planted the first tree of 300,000 at The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Wood and the designs of the woodland were revealed.

The site, created by The Woodland Trust within the National Forest, will be one of 60 grown across the country.

The trust said it was the "jewel in the crown" of a UK-wide scheme to plant six million trees in 2012.

'Growing monument'

The site, near Ashby de la Zouch, will cover an area bigger than London's Regent's Park.

Georgina McLeod, Jubilee Woods project head at the trust, said it took the charity a year to find the land.

"This woodland is the jewel in the crown and the pinnacle of the whole project of the six million trees.

The Woodland Trust also plans to create more than 250 smaller Jubilee Woods around the UK

"We're going to plant 300,000 trees, we want the community to get involved and it's going to be a massive growing monument to the Queen over the years.

"The land is a wonderful natural asset for people and wildlife and will one day be a majestic woodland."

The Woodland Trust said the forest, which will be planted with native trees and have open grassland and meadows, will create a habitat for wildlife ranging from otters to yellowhammers.

It said another Diamond Jubilee Wood would be created near Saltby and three smaller woodlands near Market Harborough, Kibworth Harcourt and Markfield.

Members of the public were invited to attend the opening.