History in the making at Heartwood Forest
History has been made as England’s largest new native woodland put its first roots down on Saturday with the first trees being planted at the Woodland Trust’s Heartwood Forest near St Albans.
The landmark planting was done jointly by the first, millionth and two millionth children to plant a tree with the Trust, under the gaze of Chief Executive Sue Holden.
Sue Holden explained how significant the new woodland can become: "Heartwood will become the largest new native woodland in England and will bring significant benefits for people and wildlife. The new wood will also help to buffer and protect the small irreplaceable pockets of ancient woodland on the site. We hope this first planting is the start of a great journey to plant 650,000 trees."
Daniel Shadbolt , 10, from Sandridge, the two millionth child to plant a tree with the Woodland Trust said: It was such a surprise when my name came out of the hat to be the two millionth child to plant a tree. It was quite a buzz of excitement. I love tree planting and nature, and also going for walks.”
The 850-acre site is a landmark project for the Trust, lying in the heart of London’s greenbelt. The aim is for Heartwood to become a shining example of how woodland can be used for the benefit of a wide and diverse range of groups.
The site is to be populated by 650,000 new native trees over the course of the next 10 years, every one of which will be planted by volunteers. The charity already works closely with the local community and businesses and wants to make Heartwood a hub for active recreation.
A recent environmental survey of the site highlighted a number of bird species of conservation interest, not to mention Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age artefacts. All of which give the site a rich cultural history and a perfect tool to engage pupils at the 1,400 schools within a 15 mile radius, not only historically but with the physical act of tree planting.
Heartwood already contains pockets of ancient woodland – the UK’s equivalent of the rainforest – and the new plantings will encapsulate the Trust’s key aims of protecting ancient woodland, creating new native woodland and spreading awareness of the benefits of woods and trees.
With mounting evidence that increasing tree cover can help tackle the twin problems of unhealthy lifestyles and the impact of climate change the first planting at Heartwood is the perfect reminder that on the ground real efforts are being taken to combat the loss of woodland cover.
Notes 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.