EXPLORING WHY WE PLANT TREES

Guest author: Sarah Hodgson, Development Officer, the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust

Tree planting is perhaps what the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust is most well-known. Since we first started out in 1996, we’ve helped to support the planting of more than 1.5 million broadleaf trees, creating native woodlands of all shapes and sizes throughout the Yorkshire Dales and Nidderdale. It’s something that’s very close to our hearts.

Through our ‘Together for Trees’ campaign we are working with many supporters and partners such as Cooper King Distillery and their customers, to plant 100,000 additional trees across the region.

They help us create breathing spaces that benefit people, our environment and wildlife. 

Trees for People 

Trees do amazing things for our minds and our bodies. Together for Trees aims to reach disadvantaged people who live with poverty, social isolation, disabilities or mental health problems to give them the chance to experience and enjoy our woodlands. 

Trees for the Environment  

Planting trees is one of the best things we can do to help combat climate change. Yet as much as 80% of the world’s forests have been destroyed or irreparably degraded and our remaining woodlands are under threat from disease and poor management. Your support can help care for our existing woodlands and plant new trees for the future.

Trees for Wildlife

Trees are hugely valuable as a habitat for wildlife. One single oak tree can support more than 280 species of insects. We need to increase native broadleaf cover in the Yorkshire Dales to protect vulnerable species of wildlife like the red squirrel, dormouse and cuckoo.

Tree planting is one of the best things you can do for mitigating climate change and we make sure we do it sustainably and in harmony with the environment.

Considerations When Tree Planting

YDMT works very closely with its partners to ensure the right tree is planted in the right place. Before a woodland scheme is approved a ‘constraints check’ will be undertaken to see if there are any conflicts in creating woodland on the land. For example, if the site has any archaeology present, or if it is herb rich grassland or a site that is important for priority bird species such as curlew or waders, then the planting would not be approved.  Outside the designated areas we consult with the relevant authorities.

We are also working hard to discover alternatives to plastic tree guards. Currently there are very few alternatives that have been trialled and tested and shown to be successful. We are working with others in the forestry sector to encourage manufacturers to produce a guard that would compost on site. Our Plastic Free Woodlands project, in association with the European Outdoor Conservation Association will trial alternatives and help landowners remove redundant tubes from their forests.

We know there can often be lots of conflicts associated with planting trees. Land is precious and in high demand and there are many constraints that often prevent planting such as if it is peatland, or bird habitat, or common land that cannot be fenced. The current farming subsidies have also prevented farmers from wanting to plant trees as they receive a payment for agricultural land that is grazed. This payment is lost if the land is converted to woodland. It is hoped that the new Environmental Land Management Scheme being developed by the Government will change this.

Thanks to Cooper King’s Customers

A huge thanks to everyone for supporting YDMT’s work, through your purchases of Cooper King gin! Thanks to you, over 1,000 trees have been planted in the Yorkshire Dales and surrounding areas, in beautiful woodlands such as Ormsgill Wood near Malham. It’s been great to get out tree planting with the Cooper King team, and they’ve joined us on woodland walks too. We hope to welcome you to one of our many supporter woodlands soon.

You can read more about YDMT’s woodlands, and dedicate your own tree, on their website: www.ydmt.org/woodlands.

This blog is part of a series to celebrate becoming England’s first carbon-negative gin and explores some key areas of sustainability. Other blogs in the series: