Major tree planting initiative gains celebrity support

Press Release 4th July 2007

Contact: Kerrigan Bell. Telephone 01309 691292; Email marketing@treesforlife.org.uk.

The award-winning forest conservation charity Trees for Life today celebrates its most-successful ever spring planting season, with a special commemorative tree being planted in Glen Affric by well-known writer and television and radio broadcaster, Vanessa Collingridge.

This tree is one of 100,000 that the charity is planting this year in a major scaling up of its work to restore the Caledonian Forest in the Highlands. It is being planted in the Glen Affric National Nature Reserve, which contains one of the best remnants of the original forest, and is managed by Forestry Commission Scotland. It also forms part of Trees for Life’s commitment to the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Billion Tree Campaign.

Vanessa Collingridge, who is a prominent advocate for the restoration of the Caledonian Forest, said:

“I’m delighted to be planting this special tree in the beautiful landscape of Glen Affric, as part of Trees for Life’s contribution towards the UNEP Billion Tree Campaign. It will be part of the renewed Caledonian Forest that future generations of people and wildlife alike will be able to enjoy, and it’s also a small but nonetheless significant step towards addressing the challenge of global climate change.”

In a series of 20 Work Weeks this spring, Trees for Life volunteers have planted over 60,000 native trees in Glen Affric and at nearby sites, including the RSPB’s Corrimony Nature Reserve and Forestry Commission for Scotland land in Glen Moriston.

Trees for Life Executive Director, Alan Watson Featherstone said:

“We’ve had a tremendous response from the public to our tree planting target for the year, with almost 200 volunteers taking part in our Work Weeks this spring. This tree planting today is a recognition of all the commitment and hard work the volunteers have put in, and we’re on track to reach our 100,000 trees target for the year. We hope our work will help to inspire others to take practical action themselves to make a positive difference for the environment.”

Ends

 

Notes to editors

1. Trees for Life is a pioneering charity in ecological restoration. It aims to restore the Caledonian Forest to an area of 1,500 square kilometres in the Highlands west of Inverness. Today only 1% of the original Caledonian Forest remains. It has won a number of awards for its work, including UK Conservation Project of the Year and the Millennium Marque for Environmental Excellence.
2. Further details about the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Billion Tree Campaign, are available at: http://www.unep.org/Billiontreecampaign
3. The Glen Affric National Nature Reserve contains the largest extent of least-disturbed native woodland in Scotland and is the third-largest remnant of the original Caledonian Forest. Covering almost 15,000 hectares to the west of Inverness, it is managed by Forestry Commission Scotland for the conservation and restoration of the forest and other natural ecosystems there.
4. Forestry Commission Scotland serves as the Scottish Executive's forestry department. It manages almost 667,000 hectares of national forest and other land owned by Scottish Ministers, supports other woodland owners with grants, felling licences, regulation and advice, and advises Ministers on forestry policy. For further information, visit: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland.

 

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