As trees grow they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and lock it away for decades or even centuries. Planting new native woods in the UK increases the size of the carbon "sink", helping to mitigate the effects of some of our greenhouse gas emissions.
As the woodlands mature they provide increasingly valuable habitat to help wildlife adapt to inevitable climate change.
The role of trees and woods in helping to capture and store carbon has been intensely debated in the media. We believe that they have a valuable role to play in addressing the issue of climate change, but only as part of the solution. First and foremost in the transition to a low carbon economy is the need to reduce emissions at source, by avoiding unnecessary fossil fuel use where possible and increasing the efficiency of those essential services. Our Question and answer pages aim to address some of the queries you might have.
As part of a holistic approach to tackling climate change, the Woodland Trust offers a range of ways to capture and store carbon that focus on creating new native woodland in the UK. Visit our Woodland Carbon pages for more details.
