Bats about trees: winter Broadleaf is out now

It’s been a shocker of a year, but our crisp new issue of Broadleaf brings glad tidings for Christmas – news that the nation is cheering louder than ever for trees. With the twin perils of climate change and nature degradation looming large, we’ve unveiled an ambitious pledge to get 50 million saplings taking root by 2025, every one of them guzzling carbon and giving succor to wildlife. So how will we do it? 

Tree planting heroes

Broadleaf’s lead feature begins to answer that question by profiling just a handful among the thousands of members and supporters who’ve helped to make 2020 a record year for community tree-planting with the Trust. They include:

• the visionary villagers who have armed their Cumbrian valley against ash dieback
• the nature-loving couple who gave up the rat race to create their own wooded reserve
• the retired teacher creating a miniature forest in her London front garden.

It’s impossible not to be inspired – and if you’d like to do your bit, we tell you how.

Bat rescue roost

Somebody else going above and beyond for nature is Laura Dunn, volunteer bat-woman extraordinaire. Laura’s spare bedroom has become a nursery for injured fliers. Read her remarkable story and find out:

• how to plump up a pipistrelle pup (clue: it involves a paintbrush)
• why every good bat creche needs a stepladder and a hot water bottle
• the surprising exercise regime that readies Laura’s babies for the wild.

Hit the woods

Lockdown or no lockdown, the Trust has 1,000 woods full of winter wonderment, all free and ready to be explored. Our seasonal round-up suggests sylvan adventures galore, including:

• a panoramic hike to the Survivor Tree, Scotland’s newly crowned Tree of the Year
• an invitation to get digging and help us forge our first Young People’s Forest
• a chance to test your knowledge on Buckinghamshire’s new tree-ID trail.

Also in this issue

You’ll find lots more surprises in our cockle-warming December edition. Discover:

• how horses and helicopters are reviving a scorched northern wilderness
• why ‘fluorescent’ squirrels could boost woodland health
• what Dame Judi Dench is giving her friends for Christmas.

All this and more in the winter edition of Broadleaf, free to members of the Woodland Trust.

Broadleaf is our quarterly magazine exclusive to members. Its news, features and stunning pictures tell the inside story of how we, our volunteers and partners stand up for trees. To receive your regular copy and exciting welcome pack, become a member now.