The Woodland Trust supporter backs planting of hedges and trees by schoolchildren
Schoolchildren across the UK will this week join forces with the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity, to plant a native hedgerow or copse in their school grounds. The free packs of thirty native trees, which schools signed up as part of the Tree For All campaign, have been given the thumbs up by international author Bill Bryson. (For a list of schools taking part, please see Notes to Editors).
Bill, a keen supporter of the Woodland Trust, says the children’s work is hugely important: “Thousands of miles of hedgerows disappeared during the last century, in the wake of agricultural development which is a crime against the countryside. The Woodland Trust’s hedge and copse initiative goes some small way to address the balance by planting new hedgerows. Planting them with help from the next generation is an effective way to get the message across that we need to conserve the hedgerows we have left and to replace the ones we have thoughtlessly and needlessly ripped out.”
The planting of hedges and copses will attract wildlife and give schools ‘living classrooms’ which pupils can enjoy for years to come. Each hedge and hazel copse pack has instructions on how to plant the saplings and worksheets about the various species. Planting and using a hedge or hazel copse can contribute to Key Stage 2 in science, numeracy, literacy and art and design.
Since the launch of the Trust’s hedge and copse scheme in 2004, part of the Woodland Trust’s Tree for All campaign, schoolchildren across the UK have contributed to the reinstatement of 60 miles of hedgerows in the UK. This is good news considering that since the 1930s, fifty per cent of the UK’s ancient woods have been felled or damaged and 190,000km of hedgerow destroyed. The packs have reached as far as Fair Isle in the Shetlands, the remotest inhabited place in Britain, to Hull one of the least wooded city in the UK. To find out how your school or youth group can get involved visit the Tree For All website.
Because of modern lifestyles, many children are growing up with little connection with their natural environment. Tree For All - the UK’s largest ever children’s tree planting campaign - is about inspiring young people to become future guardians of the natural environment and to encourage people to become more in touch with nature, increasing understanding and enjoyment of woodland.
Over the past two years the Woodland Trust’s Tree for All project has planted nearly three and a half million trees UK-wide by 516,881 people, the majority being school children - that’s enough to fill the Albert Hall 103 times or 7178 double decker buses! In all, 9000 schools, 534 community groups and 100 major partners have been involved so far, not to mention celebrities including Dame Judi Dench, Ray Mears and Penny Smith. In all the Trust has created over 1,618 hectares (4,000 acres) of new woodland.
There is still a way to go to reach the target of 12 million trees – that’s one tree for every child under 16 - so it’s by no means too late to get involved in helping to create new woodland. The Tree for All campaign will be continuing its programme of planting events with schools and community planting sessions across the UK, anyone is welcome to attend. To find out how you can get involved or for further information explore this website.
Notes to Editors:
For media enquiries contact:
The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121, email: media@woodland-trust.org.uk
The Woodland Trust: The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters. The Trust has four key aims: i) No further loss of ancient woodland; ii) Restoring and improving the biodiversity of woods; iii) Increasing new native woodland; iv) Increasing people’s understanding and enjoyment of woodland.
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free. Further news can be found at www.woodland-trust.org.uk
