The National Trust to plant 100,000 trees in North Devon
A national charity is setting a goal to plant more than 100,000 trees this season at Exmoor and Woolacombe – and inland at the Arlington Estate.
The National Trust says the goal of the Plant A Tree project is to provide a lifeline for crucial temperate rainforest habitats and improve travel corridors for wildlife across the landscape
Managers explain that temperate rainforests are incredibly rare in the UK as the island hosts less than one per cent of this unique ecosystem.
The project is being supported by funding from the conservation charity’s Plant a Tree scheme which has helped to see more than one million trees sited across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to date.
The planting of more than 100,000 trees this winter will see the creation of more than 120 acres of temperate rainforest in North Devon.
The planting will take place across three sites with 50,000 trees being planted at Arlington Court, 38,000 trees on Exmoor and 20,000 trees at Woolacombe and Hartland.
Temperate rainforests, also known as Atlantic or Celtic rainforests, are characterised by their consistently wet climate, making them the perfect home for a unique variety of plants and wildlife.
There are currently a number of national schemes to help restore rainforests, including Scotland where traditional methods are being used to protect sites and where grant money is invested key ecological areas.
These include: rare ferns, mosses, liverworts, lichens and smaller birds plus mammals (pine martens, pied flycatchers and stoats).
Temperate rainforests: A key player in protecting biodiversity
Temperate rainforests are also seen as a key player in protecting both the UK’s biodiversity and helping to tackle climate change.
The once expansive temperate rainforest used to run the length of the western seaboard of the UK but has deteriorated over the centuries due largely to air pollution, invasive species and diseases (such as ash dieback).
‘Temperate rainforests used to be expansive wooded habitats along the western seaboard of the UK,’ explains John Deakin, Head of Trees and Woodlands at The National Trust.
‘But now all that’s left are fragments, covering only one per cent of Britain and limited to small patches in Devon, Cornwall, North and West Wales, Cumbria, the West of Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland.’
‘As a result, the rare specialist plants that depend on this habitat now desperately cling to the remaining fragments for survival, with some of the woodlands we care for in north Devon containing nearly the entire global population of some of these species.’
‘Without urgent action, these unique plants could soon be facing extinction. With our work at the sites at Arlington, Woolacombe and on Exmoor, we are working on expansion, rather than just preservation.’
‘This is important because the conditions many of these rare plants thrive in are not necessarily conducive to disturbance, which makes regeneration tricky.’
‘But by planting on the edges of these existing woodlands, we can ease the pressure caused to the existing delicate vegetation and instead help the woodlands evolve outward for the future.’
National Trust rangers recently working on the tree planting scheme at Arlington Court, Devon. National Trust Images / Trevor Ray Hart.
Improving access to nature for local communities
As well as promoting temperate rainforests, the planting also plays an important role in improving access to nature for local communities.
At the Arlington estate, tree planting is one part of a larger vision of a future inspired by Miss Rosalie Chichester who bequeathed Arlington to The National Trust in 1949, after more than 500 years of family ownership.
‘Rosalie’s main ‘wish’ for Arlington was for it to be an estate for nature and people,’ says Bryony Wilde, Project Manager for the National Trust at Arlington Court.
‘Through this tree planting, we’re helping to create a living landscape where both nature and people can thrive.’
‘These trees will not only provide a habitat for wildlife but also fix carbon into the soil, purify air and water, and provide a place for people to enjoy.’
‘Simple grassland fields with little nature value are now be transformed into a dynamic mosaic of habitats to create a bigger, better, more connected landscape.’
‘We’re planting tens of thousands of trees, creating wood pasture, tree shelterbelts, hedgerows, orchards, and species rich grassland as well as rewetting the land – all to help restore natural process and help nature flourish.’
‘It’s amazing to see so many local communities already getting involved with the tree planting this winter.’
‘Every tree planted is playing a tangible part in the nature and climate emergency, and we hope people will enjoy seeing these wooded habitats flourish – as much as the many wildlife and plant species who will be able to thrive in their new home.’
Planting project includes local community groups
The planting at all sites will be carried out by National Trust ranger teams, contractors and many local community groups made up of local primary schools, health and wellbeing organisations and corporate groups.
It has been made possible thanks to donations from the Trust’s Plant a Tree fund, HSBC UK and Utility Warehouse.
‘We are proud to support the National Trust’s efforts to revive the temperate rainforest habitats of North Devon,’ says Stuart Burnett, Co-CEO of Utility Warehouse.
‘Through the planting of 50,000 trees at Arlington, we hope to help restore biodiversity in the UK and play our part in tackling climate change while ensuring local communities have access to the benefits of nature for many years to come.’
More than £2.8million has been raised for tree planting projects across the country since the Plant a Tree fund was launched in 2020. So far, 51 projects have been completed and more than one million trees have been planted.
Another 25 projects will shortly be underway which see the planting of a mixture of more than 350,000 native broadleaf trees and hedging plants.
New woodlands and hedgerows will see a number of species flourish over the next few years, including cherry, elder, crab apple, rowan, blackthorn, hawthorn, pear, plum and alder buckthorn.
The Plant a Tree projects form a crucial component of the conservation charity’s commitment to plant and establish 20 million trees by 2030.
