First Minister Peter Robinson MLA today (25 January) put trees and woodland in the spotlight by planting the first of 60 oaks at Stormont Estate.
The new oak grove is part of the Woodland Trust’s Jubilee Woods project: an ambitious tree-planting campaign to mark the Queen’s historic 2012 Diamond Jubilee. The aim is to plant six million trees across the UK and involve millions of people in the planting.
Patrick Cregg, director of the Woodland Trust, said: “We are delighted that the First Minister has taken the time to take part in today’s planting. It’s a fantastic way to mark the Jubilee and an extremely positive gesture for the environment. Stormont’s new grove consists of 60 oaks, that’s one for each year of the Queen’s reign; and some of the saplings have been grown from acorns gathered from Sandringham Estate.”
At the core of the Jubilee Woods project will be the creation of 60 special Diamond Woods - each at least 60 acres in size - plus hundreds of smaller Jubilee Woods throughout the UK. In Northern Ireland, land on the doorstep of Whitehead has been chosen as the venue for a Diamond Wood. This gem is the result of a joint partnership between the Trust and owner Carrickfergus Borough Council.
Mr Cregg continued: “We hope that other landowners throughout the country will be inspired to transform unused land into flourishing woodland. A Jubilee Wood can be anything from an acre upwards and we’re offering comprehensive advice and support to help planting get underway. It’s a unique opportunity to mark the Jubilee in a lasting and meaningful way.”
The Trust is also offering thousands of free Jubilee tree packs to schools, youth groups and community groups for planting this November. Thanks to funding from IKEA, the community tree packs come in a choice of size and are designed to help groups enhance their local neighbourhoods.
To find out how to get involved, visit www.JubileeWoods.org.uk
Notes to editors
For media enquiries contact:
Kaye Coates at the Woodland Trust’s Bangor Office on 028 9127 5787; email kayecoates@woodlandtrust.org.uk or
The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121; email media@woodlandtrust.org.uk
The Woodland Trust:
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters.
The Trust has three key aims: i) to enable the creation of more native woods and places rich in trees ii) to protect native woods, trees and their wildlife for the future iii) to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free.
Here in Northern Ireland the Woodland Trust cares for 51 woods. These woods contain a mix of recently planted woodland, mature woodland and ancient woodland (that’s land continuously wooded since at least 1600). We have recently produced the first-ever comprehensive record of Northern Ireland’s ancient woodland; find out more at www.backonthemap.org.uk