Press Release
Trust spells out life-sustaining role of woods and trees
A new ‘greenprint for sustainable development’ has been produced by the Woodland Trust, spelling out that woods and trees are crucial to sustaining life on earth, both for human well-being and for the natural world.
The report will be unveiled during the political party conference season , carrying a critical message for political parties as they face up to the realities of climate change.
The Trust’s ‘Woodland Challenges: Growing England’s Future’ states that the role of trees and woods in combating climate change has never been more important.
In fact it is central to the delivery of sustainable development, benefiting society as a whole.
The Woodland Trust calls for Government action over the next five years a on a range of issues from protecting our woodland heritage to planning and development, access, public health and recreation, and outdoor learning – spelling out the woodland message and pointing the way forward for decision makers.
On planning and development, for instance, it urges that the planning system should regard our natural environment, of which woods are one of its great glories, as a great national asset to be protected and enhanced.
Overall, the Woodland Trust calculates a need for a further 30,000ha (75,000 acres) of woodland planting to protect, buffer and extend their value for wildlife.
There should be greater emphasis on how woodland benefits can be harnessed to deliver on other agendas right across government such as health and recreation, flood alleviation and improving air quality.
Commenting on the report, Dr James Cooper, Woodland Trust, Head of Government Affairs said:
"Woods and trees generate oxygen, store carbon, provide a renewable resource of timber and energy, offer green spaces for healthy relaxation and play host to a spectacular variety of wildlife,
"In short they improve our quality of life and, in the face of climate change, the benefits they deliver have never been more important.
"We need to see action by Government and its agencies through legislation, policy, practice and incentives.”
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