Visiting woods
Events
Discover events at our woods and the festivals and fairs you can find us at soon.
Summer message to Woodland Trust members
A message from our chief executive
Hello, and thanks for looking me up. Unfortunately I haven't been able to make your video message this time as I was unwell on filming day - apologies. My diary is chock-full for the next few weeks too, so we're struggling to find another slot. Here's what I wanted to say, though - my written message is below. And if you scroll a little bit further, you'll find my video from spring, in case you haven't managed to catch that yet. Again, I'm sorry for the unexpected change of plan. I hope you enjoy your summer issue of Broadleaf - and the season! Thank you for all your invaluable support.
Chief executive - Woodland Trust
Our chief executive's summer message
Summer in the woods is a glorious place to be. There are wildflowers wherever you look – all those pops of pink, yellow, purple and blue – and the butterflies and bees are having a ball.
We all know being out here feels brilliant, and we’ve been working with the University of Kent to find out precisely why. Turns out it’s all about what stimulates our senses. So, feeling dappled sunlight on your face, hearing a blackcap trill, the heady scent of wild garlic… put it all together and you have a sort of magic formula for feeling great.
Research like this is invaluable because, of course, all that good stuff comes from having healthy, varied woods that can support a variety of flora and fauna. So, that information helps us persuade decision makers to improve woodland condition or really cherish and value the high-quality woods we have.
That’s the thinking behind our second State of the UK’s Woods and Trees report, too, which launched this month. It’s a really detailed look at the big picture for things like tree cover, planting rates, urban woods, biodiversity, carbon capture, access – you name it, it’s in there. And it’s the kind of in-depth research that gives power to our elbow as we apply for grants or call for change.
And we can all do our bit. Many of our precious wildlife species are in decline, so we recently launched a simple scorecard website to hold local authorities to account. We’d like them to declare a nature emergency – and make solid plans on how their policies will change to make things better. Some councils are already doing their best on this – see how yours is doing and find out how you can take action at natureemergency.com.
Together, we’ve got the power to give woods and trees a voice – for their own sake, and for the wildlife that depends on them and the people they rejuvenate. Sunny days spent outdoors are part of what makes life beautiful, so your support is priceless. Thank you so much – and enjoy summer!
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