To celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 2012 Diamond Jubilee, The Woodland Trust has set a target of planting 6 million trees in February this year. It aims to help millions of people across the UK to come together with this purpose.
Their Jubilee Woods project aims to create hundreds of Jubilee Woods and 60 special Diamond Woods. This will transform our landscape, providing a lasting and meaningful tribute to Queen Elizabeth and major benefits for future generations and includes the Trust’s new flagship Diamond Wood in Leicestershire.
Neighbours, communities, schools and families are all encouraged to take part and together plant thousands of individual trees in gardens, playgrounds and community spaces to mark this special moment in history. Schools and community groups can apply for free tree packs to help local people get involved in the celebration. The website provides some pointers on how to choose the perfect tree for your garden and suggests some possible species for gardens of different sizes.
The Woodland Trust started in 1972 and now has over 1,000 woods in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to all Woodland Trust sites is free. It’s the UK’s leading charity championing native woods and trees with 300,000 members and supporters. The Woodland Trust encourages the creation of more native woods and places rich in trees; protects native woods, trees and their wildlife for the future and aims to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees.
See how you can get involved at The Woodland Trust.
There are already many schools, communities and groups signed up in our area of East Dorset. Check out the list below and get along to help them achieve the target, or get in touch with The Woodland Trust and get your school, community and workplace involved. Even if you aren’t part of a group, get on and plant a tree. It will only happen if we all get involved.
- Canford Heath First School
- Poole Grammar School
- Longfleet CE Combined School
- Castle Court Preparatory School
- Rushcombe First School
- Turlin Moor Community School
- Talbot Combined School
- Friends of Winton Recreation Ground
- Glenmoor School for Girls
- Winton Primary School
- Linwood School
- 3rd Christchurch Brownies and Guides
- Twynham School
- Portchester School
- Paddington Grove Youth Community Garden
- Pamphill Pre-School Nursery
- 1st Heatherlands Scout Group
- Ferndown Upper School
- St Mary’s CE First School, West Moors
- Kelly House
- Ringwood School
- UK Youth, Avon Tyrell activity centre
- Sopley Primary School
- Blashford Lakes Wildlife Watch Group
- Somerford Primary and Community
- Highcliffe St Mark Primary School
- Rotary Club of Christchurch
- Lulworth and Winfrith CE VC 1st School
- Longmead Community Garden
Planting trees is great, it brings nature near, it’s a marker of hope for the future and means the planter gets some exercise. But we mustn’t forget to look after the trees once they are planted. All that good work could come to nothing if we don’t check periodically that the trees have what they need to thrive.
Article written by Steve Cox on January 28, 2012