Woodland Trust to plant 50 million trees in 5 years

The Woodland Trust has pledged to plant 50 million trees by 2025 in a bid to help tackle the climate crisis. 

The conservation charity is sending more than 600,000 free trees to community groups and schools in the next few weeks. This is part of the organisations £1m Emergency Tree Fund which will be used to help local authorities plant trees and create woods.

The charity is also urging the nation to join in with its Big Climate Fightback where they will be urging millions of people to plant trees throughout November.

In 2019 the government committed to planting 50 million trees each year until 2050, however, following Covid-19, tree planting is done by 30% in the first quarter of 2020 compared to 2019.

The Trust’s CEO Darren Moorcroft said: ‘A year on from many big promises and statements about the need for more trees in order to achieve carbon net-zero by 2050, they mainly remain just that, words.

‘2019 saw the Woodland Trust plant more than four million trees. It was a great achievement but even that is well below what is needed in the UK to meet climate change targets.

‘Today I outline our commitment to establish 50 million trees by 2025 to achieve our ten-year aim of a tree for everyone in the UK.

‘Our role in tackling the climate crisis won’t rest – we know the clock is ticking and we must act now.

‘Trees are nature’s most powerful weapons in the fight against climate change. Together we can achieve remarkable things and I ask people today, please do your bit, join our climate change army, plant a tree in November, use your voice for trees and woods, support our cause and help us to continue our collective Big Climate Fightback.’

Photo Credit – Pixabay