Around 519 hectares of new woodlands will be created across England this winter – equivalent to the size of more than 800 football pitches.
The ambitious plan is a partnership between the National Trust (NT) and England's Community Forests as part of its Trees for Climate programme; funded by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs' (Defra) Nature for Climate Fund.
By the end of March, almost 416,000 trees will have been planted on NT land to create wildlife-rich habitats such as woodlands, wood pasture, hedgerows and orchards.
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Each new area of planting will connect with existing habitats, extending the size of local Community Forests in areas including Devon, Gloucestershire, Yorkshire and Merseyside. The woody habitats will help mitigate climate change, provide homes for nature, and improve access to woods close to towns and cities for people to enjoy.
The largest tree planting project is already underway at Lunt in Sefton, Merseyside, where 78 hectares will be planted (using 92,000 trees). A network of volunteer and community groups, schools and local people are set to help in tree planting events.
John Deakin, the National Trust head of Trees and Woodland, says “Trees are our most powerful tool in locking up carbon and mitigating climate change. Working in partnership allows us to plant even more trees, restore more spaces for nature and store carbon on an even bigger scale.
“Meanwhile, with each new area of planting connecting with existing habitats plus extending the size of local Community Forest areas, we can ensure that more people have opportunities to connect with nature close to where they live, something we all need.”
Main image credit: National Trust Images/Owen Douglas-Jones
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