A £13,000 project to transform a Knutsford nature reserve and return it to its traditional state as a haven for wildlife begins in the New Year.

Contractors working on behalf of Cheshire Wildlife Trust will be using chainsaws in January to remove trees in Knutsford Heath to allow heather and other plants to thrive.

Although the operation may appear destructive, the trust says the work in the 13 acre nature reserve is necessary to create a habitat for the likes of the purple hairstreak butterfly.

Over the years, the 13 acre (5.3ha) nature reserve, owned by the Tatton Estate, has become overrun with ‘scrub’ species such as gorse and birch trees and some smaller oak trees.

Cheshire Wildlife Trust is also reinstating almost 5,000sq m of heath by planting new heather seeds under the top turf layer using specialist machinery.

This technique has been used on the Prees Heath nature reserve in Shropshire, home to the rare silver-studded blue butterfly.

A Cheshire Wildlife Trust spokesman said: “We completely understand that this work may appear quite dramatic and destructive.

“But that is often what must be done to reinstate original wildlife habitats.

“The clue, of course, is in the name Knutsford Heath.

“The site is not supposed to be a wooded area and without intervention, that is what will happen within a few years.

“Heathlands have decreased significantly across Cheshire and the UK, and are now the last stronghold for many species.”

The work, funded by Natural England, has been timed during the winter months to have the least impact on nesting birds.

The most mature oak trees will also be retained.

More than a third of Britain’s lowland heathlands have been lost since the 1950s yet they remain important for a variety of wildlife including reptiles, rare birds, butterflies and dragonflies.