The Woodland Trust has re-opened applications for its UK-wide MOREwoods woodland creation programme encouraging landowners to plant more trees on their own land with the charity’s practical support and, in many cases, funding.
Specialist woodland creation advisers are in place to offer site visits and advice based on four decades of Trust planting expertise, with a specific information area on its web site.
Last winter MOREwoods created 210 hectares of new native woodland across 160 sites, with planting motivated by a range of uses from riverbank shelter for young fish to education and legacy for children, shelter belts for crops and game bird cover.
Applications are invited for a minimum of one hectare, although this can be split up into separate pockets of planting – or spread across a whole farm.
MOREwoods is supported by Warwick-based Calor Gas, which is providing £250,000 over three years. In year one, £100,000 of Calor’s investment contributed to MOREwoods’ £1 million development and delivery costs to plant 500,000 trees on other people’s land– 50,000 of which were planted from Calor’s contribution.
Many MOREwoods applicants are motivated by the creation of new habitat for wildlife, especially support pollinating insects, and an increasing number of people are planting to create their own sustainable and accessible supplies of wood fuel.
The Trust has three main areas of focus for 2010 - planting for wood fuel, wildlife and trees on farms as part of efficient agriculture, including cutting emissions.
It will be exhibiting at a range of major events, starting with the Royal Highland Show (24-27 June), then the Irish Game Fair (26-27 June), Great Yorkshire Show (13-15 July) , the Royal Welsh Show (19-22 July) and the CLA Game Fair in Warwickshire (23-25 July) - with tree planting specialists on hand each day.
With ambitious aims to increase native tree cover, the woodland charity is encouraging other landowners to plant. Powerful arguments back its campaign, not least an increasing array of woodland creation grants.
Certainly few single commodities deliver a range of landowner benefits that include carbon capture, cutting greenhouse gas, providing shelter for stock and buildings and crops, helping cleanse and control water flows, reducing nutrient runoff and delivering shade for livestock.
MOREwoods is a programme designed to get people planting, explained Clare Ollerenshaw, programme director
“Awareness is growing of how important trees are for people, wildlife and the environment. We have ambitions to massively increase native tree cover, far beyond what we can achieve on our own and our MOREwoods programme is a proven and exciting way to be able to help others plant on their own land.
“Certainly the tree-planting climate has never been more encouraging, with major land owners looking at the environment and carbon capture benefits of trees, Government recognising that we need more and a sympathetic grant scheme to back up our own efforts.”
Woodland creation advisers are:
Peter Leeson North East and North West England
Hamish Thomson South West England
Jonathan Plowe East Anglia and Midlands
Roy Barlow Central and Lowland Scotland
Philip Gordon Scotland Advisor
Eleanor Garty Highlands
Clare Morgan North Wales
Paul Keen South Wales
Find out more at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/planting or email woodlandcreation@woodlandtrust.org.uk
Case study: A portrait of new woodland
Five acres of former gravel extraction land in the heart of Constable country have been transformed into a new young native woodland which will eventually deliver wood fuel and material for furniture – not to mention creating a magical habitat for wildlife.
For owner Barry Davison, the planting of 4,500 young broadleaf trees by the Woodland Trust is a natural progression in a grand plan to turn back the clock at his Monks Farm home near Dedham.
“The idea eventually is to manage our new wood sustainably, to coppice some of the trees in traditional style, use some of our own wood to produce bespoke bits of furniture, and have our own supplies of wood fuel.I know from planting the hedges what stunning growth you get within just a few years. We have already got little owls, fox , pheasant, and a whole host of wildlife and the new woodland will help increase that wildlife no end.”
Other Trust plantings include:
A capital planting plan:
Doctors Ian and Annabel London have planted 3,500 native trees in their own beautiful corner of Cheshire with their children and wildlife – particularly dormice - very much in mind.
A lesson in tree planting:
A family of teachers and Scouters from Shropshire have created a four-acre native woodland as an outdoor learning resource for youth groups and schools and endless delight for Sue Macfarlane’s bug-hunting grandson.
New wood in golf course bag:
Golfers in Devon will find their Staddon Heights course more challenging in years to come thanks to 5,000 new native trees planted - notably on the curving fifth hole where cunning shots across the dog-leg could become a thing of the past.
Trees on the farm:
Henry and Edward Heath’s mixed arable and stock farm near Braintree now boasts two new blocks of native woodland – a huge addition to the few hedge tree willows that previously adorned the farm.
Century planting for sustainability group:
A picturesque corner of the Peak National Park now hosts a national tree planting milestone – the 100th wood to be created under the MOREwoods programme and planted by members of the Sustainable Edale group.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.