 By being registered as a Friendly Society, the Association was able to own its own land.It also planted on private and council owned land - often using trees raised from seed in the Association's own nurseries.Achieving some significant successes in promoting tree planting, arranging Arbor Days and furthering the scientific understanding of restoring degraded land, the MRA was ultimately largely unsuccessful in delivering large scale afforestation in the Black Country and was wound up in 1925.