Schools and community groups dig deep to plant 15,000 trees across Northern Ireland
Last month, children and adults helped to tackle Northern Ireland’s lack of woodland cover by planting thousands of trees as part of the Woodland Trust’s free tree’s scheme.
The Woodland Trust want to make sure that everybody in the UK has a chance to plant a tree, so are giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities.
While the groups’ reasons for planting are individual, the benefits are lasting and shared. Trees enhance the landscape, improve the air we breathe and provide homes for wildlife. And yet Northern Ireland lags way behind the rest of Europe when it comes to tree numbers. The country has a mere 8% of woodland cover, compared to the European average of 46%.
St Mark’s High School, Warrenpoint, was one of the 79 schools and community organisations who rolled up their sleeves and put trees in the ground this March. The school applied for a Woodland Trust free tree pack enabling them to bring the whole school community together for a spring tree planting event in March.
Grace McClean, Science Technician at St Mark’s School in Warrenpoint said:
“We were delighted to hear that The Woodland Trust was giving away free tree packs. Trees bring so many benefits. They make our schools and neighbourhoods greener and healthier, while providing much-needed homes for wildlife.
“It was a fantastic opportunity for pupils from across the school to come together, roll their sleeves up, and really make a difference. The packs are free and come with all the information you need to get planting. It couldn’t be easier.”
It is not too late for would-be tree planters to make their mark in 2019: schools, youth groups and community groups are invited to apply for free trees for planting this November.
To find out more and to get your November pack visit www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/freetrees
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The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK. It has over 500,000 supporters.
The Trust has three key aims:
- to protect ancient woodland, which is rare, unique and irreplaceable;
- to restore damaged ancient woodland, bringing precious pieces of our natural history back to life;
- to plant native trees and woods with the aim of creating resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering over 22,500 hectares.
Here in Northern Ireland, the Woodland Trust cares for 50 woods. Access to its woods is free. Further news can be found at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
