About 40 rowan, hawthorn, hazel and blackthorn - with permission from Victor Partridge.
Latest forestry statistics show 18.7% of Scotland is forested. The Scottish government's target is for 21% cover by 2032. Andy Wightman, Scottish Green land reform spokesman, said: "Trees suck carbon out of the air and are vital in our attempts to tackle the climate emergency. We need to restore Scotland's forests urgently. The European average for forest cover is 40%. At this rate it will take Scotland 155 years to catch up. It is also vital that we understand what is needed. 60% of new planting is conifers rather than native forest." I'm doing my wee bit at Hillend Country Park on the north eastern slopes of the Pentlands. About 40 rowan, hawthorn, hazel and blackthorn - with permission from Victor Partridge.
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This four-year-old Scots pine represents thousands reversing the deforestation of Glen Nevis thanks to Nevis Landscape Parternship’s Future Forests initiative.
Seed was collected from gnarly ancient pines high in the glen and grown on in planting boxes around Lochaber. Local children planted the saplings back out in the glen in exclosures protecting them from grazing animals. As the trees grow, so will the children, to become future guardians of the Glen. For the first time in perhaps a thousand years the number of trees in Glen Nevis is increasing. Rewilding the Scottish Highlands, Ath-fhiadhachadh na Gàidhealtachd, a project from Trees for Life.
Soundtrack kindly provided by Julie Fowlis – Fodor Dha Na Gamhna Beaga - the song is Puirt-À-Beul Set from the album Gach Sgeul / Every Story. More at: https://treesforlife.org.uk/ Volunteers are being urged to do their bit to stop the climate emergency by grabbing a spade and signing up for the biggest mass tree-planting campaign in the UK’s history.
Plots in suitable sites around the country are being prepared for 30 November, when the Big Climate Fightback campaign will start with pledges sought from 1 million people. Local groups are being encouraged to run tree-planting events and councils are being asked for permission to plant trees on their land, or outside schools and other publicly owned properties. Businesses are also being urged to plant trees on their own premises if possible. People without gardens or the means to plant their own trees are being encouraged to spot potential sites and ask their local council or the landowner for permission to plant. By 2025, the Woodland Trust – the charity behind the Big Climate Fightback – hopes to have planted a tree for every person in the country. All of the trees provided by the charity will be native broadleaf varieties, such as oak, birch and hawthorn. The writer and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig has pledged to plant a tree and called on others to do the same. “Climate change is a real threat and affects us all, but there is the simplest of all solutions: the humble tree,” she said. “I urge people to get off their sofas and plant a tree. It’s very simple and you could be one in a million.” According to the Committee on Climate Change, the government’s statutory advisers on the climate crisis, the UK should have 1.5bn new trees by 2050 to meet the net zero carbon target, set in line with international scientific warnings on the climate crisis. The government has set a target of 5,000 hectares a year for England alone, but planting rates have fallen well short of that, with last year only 1,420 hectares (3,508 acres) of new woodland planted. However, trees will also need to be cared for after planting to ensure they survive, so groups are encouraged to participate beyond the planting stage. The Woodland Trust also warned that tree planting alone was not enough. “As individuals, we all need to do much more to reduce our impact on the planet by cutting emissions and reducing pressure on resources,” said Darren Moorcroft, the charity’s chief executive. A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “Working with the Woodland Trust and other organisations, we also want to encourage everyone to play a part and help us to plant more trees. We’ve already kick-started the creation of a Northern Forest, which will see 50m trees planted from Liverpool to Hull, and we have set up two funds worth £60m to drive up planting rates, including in our towns and cities. Later this year we will be consulting on a new English Tree Strategy, focusing on how to accelerate woodland creation across the country.” Argyll and Bute Hospital is a hospital providing acute admissions and various mental health and psychotherapy services. The hospital joined the NHS Forest project in 2010 following the creation of their Blarbuie project.
The story so far - creation of a community Woodland EnterpriseArgyll & Bute Hospital was opened in the Victorian era. At the time of the creation of such health care provision – usually in rural environments – the name ‘asylum’ was commonly used, literally meaning refuge or place of safety and tranquillity. The woods around the hospital were created with this in mind, and along with farm and gardens were part of the outdoor resource for work and recreation. Much of this resource was lost, the hospital changed, and the woods became inaccessible and dangerous. But they still contained trees from all over the world, as well as native trees such as ash and Scots pine. There was ground cover of heather and wild flowers and there were red squirrels, bats and birds, and views over loch, sea, hills and islands. In 2002 a number of people came up with ideas to restore and enhance the woods, for environmental, community and health benefits. A partnership was formed between Reforesting Scotland, Argyll Green Woodworkers Association, NHS, Scottish Association for Mental Health, and Lochgilphead Community Council. Extensive research, consultation, and appraisal was carried out, followed by detailed planning and fundraising. The vision was that Blarbuie Woodland would be for the benefit of people who use health and social services in Mid Argyll and beyond, plus all people, young and old, living in or visiting the area. Community participation was recognised as the key to protecting the woods, making them accessible to everyone and creating opportunities for people to learn about plants and wildlife, and local history. Right from the beginning there was a lot of work to be done, restoring and enhancing the two main strips of woodland - the Low Wood and the High Wood. Groups worked on paths, on woodland management, on timber construction, on signage and on environmental education. As part of this work, the project offered supervised training and voluntary opportunities. Right from the start, the project helped people to gain in health and happiness, knowledge and skills. Rogate Woods, by Tiffany Francis-BakerJuly, and the evening sun glows
through wilted foxgloves; the bees flown to fresher flowers in Paradise – Soft linen light, a swarm of flies drown out the buzzard who, mourning, cries aloud the night is dawning. We sigh, and nothing; her lungs burst and fall upon this salted earth. Glasgow is so keen to plant more trees that it is considering proposals to re-forest its golf courses.
The city council earlier this year announced a climate emergency - and an aspiration to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Separately it also launched a consultation on the future of six of its public golf courses, key green space smack in the middle of Scotland’s most densely populated areas. Renowned climber, photographer and mountain guide Dave 'Cubby' Cuthbertson explores Steall Gorge and the slopes of Ben Nevis as he reflects on a life shaped by the mountains.
Jon Snow, journalist and Channel 4 News presenter, talks about his lifelong love for trees in the third of our The Wild in Me film series celebrating wildness and the relationships between people and wild places.
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