We need more woodland?
Today the UK is one of the least wooded places in Europe with less than 12% woodland cover, compared with a European average of 44%.
This matters to us because wooded landscapes are the types of places that most of us want to live in – whether it’s a tree lined street or a countryside rich in woods and hedgerows.
Woods provide fantastic places for adventure and enjoyment. At the same time they can clean the air, lock up carbon, reduce flooding and provide homes for wildlife. Woods provide products that we can use: from obvious ones such as timber and paper, to less obvious business opportunities such as tourism, wild food harvesting and cycling trails.
For people in cities and towns, woods provide an escape from noise and traffic and the chance to feel peace, quiet and solitude. They are great places to mess about and to learn, particularly for young people. The growth of forest school and bushcraft activities shows that this is increasingly recognised.
We want to increase native woodland cover in areas where it can really make a difference to people’s lives. In little more than a decade a new wood can transform a landscape and how it is used. Our experience of planting more than 500 community woods in the past two decades has shown us how this opens up opportunities for people to use their local landscape in different ways and how new woods can help make a healthier, richer and more beautiful country for us to live in.
It's also important to involve as many people as possible in the process of changing our land for the better. Since 2004 our Tree for All campaign has invited children to help us plant trees. Over the past three years nearly a million children have planted more than 5 million trees through Tree for All. Every year, nearly a third of all schools and hundreds of community groups take part in the campaign and tens of thousands of children come out to help create new woods.
To donate you can call during office hours on
FREEPHONE 0800 026 9650 or send a
cheque payable to the Woodland Trust:
Woodland Trust FREEPOST GM 63/2
Autumn Park,
Grantham, Lincs.
NG31 6BR
More info:
The Woodland trust has just brought a new piece of land, which they have called HEARTWOOD. It’s Located near Sandridge just three miles north of St Albans in Hertfordshire, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform the site into the largest new continuous native forest in England.
Ancient woodland at Heartwood Forest
There are three pockets of ancient woodland on the site. Ancient Woodland are not just places of timeless beauty and tranquillity but by being continuously planted since 1600AD, ancient woodland offer stable, natural conditions for wildlife. In fact they are home to more threatened species than any other habitat in the UK making them a valuable resource that need protecting.
Incredibly, it takes just 12 years to turn bare land into flourishing native woodland, complete with a diverse range of wildlife and towering trees.
The site contains four small remnants (44 acres) of precious ancient woodland, our equivalent of the rainforest, which now sadly makes up only two per cent of UK landcover.
Why … it’s BIG for wildlife
Large areas of woodland are better than small fragments in helping species adapt in the face of climate change. This site will be the flagship in an unprecedented national tree planting campaign.
Why … it’s BIG for people
Getting out and active in woodland is great way for adults and children to connect with nature. Over 2 million people live within 15 miles of the site which can be accessed via public transport, and we want everyone to come and take part.
Why … it's BIG for the Trust
This is the Trust's most exciting and ambitious tree planting opportunity in England, creating the largest new native forest for millions of people to enjoy for free, forever.
Located within the London Greenbelt, a Biodiversity Priority Area and within the Chilterns ancient woodland concentration, this land near Sandridge is an unmissable large-scale tree planting opportunity.
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