The Forest of Avon Trust is embarking on a 5 year large scale tree planting programme working with partners, landowners, unitary authorities and all communities towards doubling our tree cover across the West of England, to transform our nature networks, expand our woodlands and work towards regional and national net zero targets.
As one of England’s Community Forests, in just the last 4 months we have funded 17 hectares (that’s 170,000 m2, 42 acres or nearly 24 football pitches!) of tree and hedgerow projects across the region through our part in DEFRA’s Trees for Climate grant programme, launched nationally in December 2020. This is in addition to our own planting projects which are in full swing. We intend to scale up our planting programme exponentially across the next 4 years with outline plans and partnerships already taking shape but with a huge potential for more.
At the Forest of Avon Trust, we do not claim to be able to solve the climate emergency with tree planting, but we know that protecting existing trees and planting new ones is the best option available to us right now. We also need trees for now, for our quality of life and for the many social, economic, biodiversity and practical benefits they bring, in addition to critical carbon storage. There are so many reasons to ensure that, as a matter of urgency, our local trees and woodlands thrive and expand into all of the places where trees are both suitable and the best option.
If you know of or own an area of land which could be a suitable site for tree planting or if you would simply like to know how to support our goals across Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset, ask the Forest of Avon Trust.
We have funding, expertise and support available for supplying trees, preparing a site, formalities, planting work, access improvements or woodland management. The funding is flexible and can cover a range of different types of planting and both large and small projects.
We are here to work with and for you, to help focus the increasing energy around tree planting to where it will bring the most gain, for everyone in the region and beyond. alex.stone@forestofavontrust.org 07779 787011 / 0117 963 3383