Too little too late?

Planting trees in the UK might seem like a small gesture towards combating the effects of anthropogenic climate change.

However, the act of tree planting is symbolic of hope: it can serve a vital role in focusing debate and action on tackling the problem of growing GHG emissions.

If we're prepared to change our light bulbs we should be prepared to create new woodland, given the huge number of additional benefits doing so brings.

Many of those benefits happen almost immediately. In some cases, woodland creation results in avoided agricultural emissions (although care must be taken that those emissions are not simply happening elsewhere). Even so, the cessation of farming activity can lead to wildlife benefits through reduced disturbance.

Locking up carbon is only part of what trees do: providing habitat for wildlife and ecosystem services for us are both relevant to the fight to limit dangerous climate change.

Planting trees now provides benefits now.