Potentially thousands of trees removed during M6 upgrade

The upgrade to a 'smart motorway' is taking place between Junction 21a at the Croft interchange, and Junction 26 - the Orrell interchange - of the M6, with many tonnes of vegetation being removed as a result.

Data released by National Highways, in response to a Freedom of Information request, showed that between December 2021 and March 2022, more than 100,000 square metres of vegetation have been removed from the motorway.

This is the equivalent of 10 hectares or around 13 football pitches.

74,552 square metres of vegetation have been removed from the area of the M6 that passes through Warrington

According to NHSForest.org, there can be between 1,000 and 2,500 trees per hectare of land - though the vegetation removed from the M6 included 'hedges, brambles, and weeds,' not just trees.

This estimate for trees-per-hectare is applicable to suitable land, and therefore the number of trees removed from the M6 will not be as many as the NHSForest.org numbers suggest.

In order to offset the negative impact of removing so much vegetation, National Highways announced that it planned to plant 8,732 trees once work has been completed on the upgrade.

NHSForest.org's estimates suggest thousands of trees have been removed from the M6 during the upgrade

Dave Cooke, manager of the M6 Junction 21a-26 project, said: "Vegetation from the verges alongside the motorway is being removed to accommodate the 10 emergency areas we are providing so drivers have a relatively safe place to get to in an emergency and to meet a commitment to the motorway’s neighbours to install a tailor-made noise barrier along stretches of the carriageway."

Mr Cooke added: "As we work to deliver this important investment in the economy of the region we’ll be planting some 12,600 trees – actually 4,000 more than originally planned – as well as seeding in clearance areas to enhance the floristic and structural diversity of the habitats lost during construction."