Woodland Trust helps landowners plant trees to improve climate

THINKING of planting trees on your land? Landowners are being asked to consider planting trees to help tackle the climate and nature emergencies.

The Woodland Trust can help landowners find the right grants available to help create woodland on their land. Grants to plant include the conservation charity’s flagship woodland creation schemes MOREwoods, MOREhedges and DAERA’s Forest Expansion Scheme and Small Woodlands Grant.

The Woodland Trust’s MOREwoods scheme is open to anyone wanting to plant woodland of at least 500 trees on at least half a hectare of land, its MOREhedges scheme includes saplings, advice and funding for new hedging projects of 100 metres or more.

The conservation charity can visit your site with you to help design the woodland, supply the trees, help with form filling, supply the agreed trees and protection and cover up to 75 per cent of costs as well as arrange for contractors to plant the trees.

The Forest Expansion Scheme and Small Woodland Grant offer 100 per cent funding to Northern Ireland landowners wishing to establish woodlands of 0.2 Ha (0.5 acres) or more.

All trees and shrubs the Woodland Trust Northern Ireland supplies are native broadleaved species that are UK and Irish sourced and grown, which will help local landscapes become more diverse and therefore more resilient to future threats, such as pest and diseases.

Gregor Fulton, Outreach Manager for the Woodland Trust Northern Ireland, said: “If you’re thinking of planting trees on your land, we have the trees, grants and funding schemes to help.

“Get in touch with us to find out how to start, what funding is available and the benefits tree-planting can bring to your farm or business.

“There are so many reasons to plant trees. They provide shade and shelter for livestock, transform unproductive land, extend the grazing season, enrich soils, offer a solution for biosecurity, in addition to all the environmental benefits.”