A PICTURESQUE corner of Derbyshire’s Hope Valley now hosts a national tree planting milestone – the 100th wood to be created under the Woodland Trust’s new MOREwoods programme.
Stephen and Joy Searle’s cottage home on Hope Road in Edale welcomed family, friends and fellow Sustainable Edale group members at the weekend to get the first of 1,000 native trees into the ground.
The site, lying within the Peak National Park, is one of 220 woods being created across the UK this winter under the Trust’s new drive to help landowners plant native woodland - a total of 250 hectares (750) acres of brand new woodland.
And if the Hope Valley planting is a milestone for the Trust, it’s the realisation of a long-held dream for the Searle’s
“It’s been a dream of ours for many years,” said Stephen Searle, a doctor, whose occupational therapist wife Joy has family roots with Edale and with a wind turbine already installed on their property.
“We have lived here for 19 years, and wanted to plant up a new woodland but never thought it was feasible until we heard about the Trust MOREwoods programme.”
“We'd like to try and do a little bit for the environment locally, helping to enhance the landscape and make our contribution to help tackle climate change. We all know that trees are a way of capturing carbon and producing renewable fuel so this makes all sorts of sense.”
“Our Sustainable Edale group has around 20 members, meets monthly and has recently discussed tree planting. We hope this will encourage other people to do the same thing.”
Trees including ash, oak, rowan, birch, alder, willow and guelder rose will shelter two new ponds and promise to be a flourishing young wood within 10/12 years, confirms MOREwoods project manager Clare Ollerenshaw.
“Our MOREwoods scheme has struck a real chord with all sorts of landowners who have planted for all sorts of reasons from wildlife habitat to wood fuel ,” she said.
“We offer advice, practical help, and in some cases funding, and we are delighted that this new wood, which has so many strong environmental credentials, is to be our 100th.”
The Woodland Trust has a specific advice area on its web site www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/planting
Sustainable Edale is a charity that aims to encourage ethical and sustainable living for both residents and visitors to the area. It was established to encourage sustainable and ethical living and development within the local area. www.sustainable-edale.org.ukNotes to editors
For media enquiries contact:
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.