The Woodland Trust owns and cares for more than 1,000 woods across the UK. As Britain’s largest woodland conservation charity, it plays a key role in conserving the country’s most precious natural resource: trees. It maintains precious fragments of irreplaceable ancient woodland and protects venerable landmark trees; it creates new woods and community forests, and it provides opportunities for everyone to get to know their local woods and play a part in saving them for future generations. Here are some of the ways you can get involved:
Plant trees
Anyone can plant a tree. In fact, everyone should plant a tree – it’s quite a profound feeling to put something in the Earth that may still be around after you have left it. It’s even more rewarding when you work with others to plant a whole collection of trees: not only will you be doing your bit for the community, by creating a pleasant place to meet, walk and picnic, but you’ll be helping birds, animals and invertebrates, too, by providing food, shelter and wildlife corridors. Look out for community tree-planting events at Woodland Trust sites near you, or apply for one of the Woodland Trust’s free tree-planting packs for schools and not-for-profit community groups (minimum 30 trees, see website for eligibility criteria).
Volunteer
Woodland Trust volunteers gave 233,000 hours of their time last year, and it’s not a one-way transaction: whether you want to meet friends, learn new skills, gain work experience or simply do some exercise, you’ll get out as much as you put in. From monitoring wildlife, writing woodland profiles and collecting seeds to organising events and recording oral histories, there are roles to suit many levels of fitness, knowledge and gregariousness. Join a working party to help clear footpaths or root out invasive species – it’s a great way to keep fit and promote wellbeing. Or use your social media knowhow to lobby for woodlands from your laptop. Even if you don’t have much time to give, you can turn citizen scientist and record seasonal changes in your locality, or add your voice to Woodland Trust campaigns at the click of a mouse.
Inspire young woodlanders
Woods are multisensory natural playgrounds – and Woodland Trust venues are free. Some have swings, see-saws and cycle paths; all have logs to balance on, bugs to hunt, trunks to hide behind and dens to build. They provide safe spaces to run around in, soft places to land and fresh air to breathe. And the changing smells and sounds of the seasons – bluebells, birdsong, leaf litter – create the memories and understanding of the natural world that are key to inspiring the next generation of conservationists and tree planters. The Green Tree Schools Award provides resources and incentives to help teachers and pupils explore the woods around them, while Nature Detectives is a resource of fun packed activities and spotters’ guides for little explorers and their families. For guided walks, wildlife spotting and children’s events at Woodland Trust woods near you, see woodlandtrust.org.uk/get-involved.
Donate
As well as working with communities to raise money to buy threatened woodlands, the Woodland Trust purchases sites that might otherwise be lost to development. It also buys tracts of land for the creation of new forests, such as the Heartwood Forest in Hertfordshire, which will be England’s largest new native woodland. By donating to the charity, or remembering it in your will, you can help it achieve its ambition to plant 70 million trees – one for every man, woman and child in Britain – by 2025. Become a member for as little as £3 a month, and the Woodland Trust will dedicate one of these trees to you. Or you can dedicate a tree or woodland to a friend or loved one, from £15. That’s a gift that really does last a lifetime … several, in fact.
