I was collared by a bright and breezy charity volunteer in the foyer of a shopping centre recently. He was working on behalf of The Woodland Trust, a charity I’d never heard of. Over the past few weeks on the road I’ve been amazed at how many awful new-build housing estates seem to be encroaching on green belt (or at least wooded) land. So I was happy to listen to his two-minute pitch. And I must admit, I was won over. 

First a few facts-

• The UK is one of Europe’s least wooded countries.
• Ancient woodland is home to more threatened species than any other habitat in the UK.
• Half of ancient broadleaved woodland that had survived until the 1930s has now been lost.
• 85% of ancient woodland has no legal designation to protect it from outside threats.

And a small plug for the work they do-

• The Woodland Trust, founded in 1972, is the UK’s leading charity dedicated solely to the protection of our native woodland heritage.
• By acquiring woodland sites The Woodland Trust bring them into our care and protection. Many of our woods were previously under threat from development pressure or unsympathetic management.
• Woodland Trust woods are sympathetically managed for wildlife and public enjoyment.
• We also replace those woods that have been lost to landscape and create more new native woodland than practically anyone else in the UK.
• We have created 3,200 hectares of new native woodland.
• Our Millennium Commission backed Woods on your Doorstep project has created 200 new community woods in England and Wales and 50 more in Northern Ireland.

Find out more about The Woodland Trust on their website and why not commit a few pounds a month.

 

This entry was posted on Monday, June 16th, 2008 at 9:55 am and is filed under MISCELLANEOUS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.