More than 100,000 trees planted in last three winters
Where have the trees been planted
More than 70 people, including contractors and volunteers have been working with the National Trust planting oak, birch, holly, hawthorn, rowan, aspen and alder trees along the steep valleys (‘cloughs’) above the Howden and Derwent reservoirs and around Kinder Scout.
These new ‘clough woodlands’ will soon grow into a landscape very different to the conifer plantations around the dams, or the bare grass below the moors grazed by generations of Derbyshire sheep.
“If you’ve got sheep grazing in the uplands you’re not going to get trees growing without doing something about it,” said Tom.
“So we’ve fenced areas off to allow trees to grow naturally, and we’ve planted trees in guards where we still get some sheep.”
T
These new ‘clough woodlands’ will soon grow into a landscape very different to the conifer plantations around the dams, or the bare grass below the moors grazed by generations of Derbyshire sheep.
“If you’ve got sheep grazing in the uplands you’re not going to get trees growing without doing something about it,” said Tom.
“So we’ve fenced areas off to allow trees to grow naturally, and we’ve planted trees in guards where we still get some sheep.”
What should visitors do
Visitors are asked to help preserve the young trees by closing gates in planted areas after passing through, as stray sheep can quickly knock over guarded trees and eat the saplings.
The fencing allows natural regeneration with access for walkers via gates and stiles, said Tom.
A small fenced woodland above Howden is now full of local oak and birch trees alongside planted varieties from the 1980s.
“This wood wouldn’t be here unless someone had put a fence round it 30 years ago,” Tom said.
Partner organisations supporting the project include the National Park, Moors for the Future, the Forestry Commission and the Woodland Trust, which recently pointed out that Britain is nowhere near its target of planting 11 million new trees between 2015 and 2020.
It says that planting needs to increase even more to bring England’s paltry 10 per cent tree cover closer to the 38 per cent average in Europe.
Doug Edmondson, of the Woodland Trust, said: “A lot of tree planting we see at the moment is on a much smaller scale, the size of a tennis court for example, so it’s really important to see a ‘landscape scale’ project like this in a National Park, particularly when the country is not meeting its tree planting targets.”
Meanwhile, Tom said the new woodlands will stop peat eroding and releasing carbon - and reduce flood risks by soaking up water and slowing down river flow.
He said: “We hope in a few years time today’s children can bring their own kids and find woodlands that look like they’ve always been here, with butterflies, wood warblers, redstarts, buzzards and all kinds of animals, from lizards to deer”
The fencing allows natural regeneration with access for walkers via gates and stiles, said Tom.
A small fenced woodland above Howden is now full of local oak and birch trees alongside planted varieties from the 1980s.
“This wood wouldn’t be here unless someone had put a fence round it 30 years ago,” Tom said.
Partner organisations supporting the project include the National Park, Moors for the Future, the Forestry Commission and the Woodland Trust, which recently pointed out that Britain is nowhere near its target of planting 11 million new trees between 2015 and 2020.
It says that planting needs to increase even more to bring England’s paltry 10 per cent tree cover closer to the 38 per cent average in Europe.
Doug Edmondson, of the Woodland Trust, said: “A lot of tree planting we see at the moment is on a much smaller scale, the size of a tennis court for example, so it’s really important to see a ‘landscape scale’ project like this in a National Park, particularly when the country is not meeting its tree planting targets.”
Meanwhile, Tom said the new woodlands will stop peat eroding and releasing carbon - and reduce flood risks by soaking up water and slowing down river flow.
He said: “We hope in a few years time today’s children can bring their own kids and find woodlands that look like they’ve always been here, with butterflies, wood warblers, redstarts, buzzards and all kinds of animals, from lizards to deer”
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق