The government has announced plans to offer every household in Wales the opportunity to either plant a tree, or have one planted on their behalf.
The scheme, which follows a deep dive exercise into tree planting and timber led by the Deputy Climate Change Minister earlier this year, is part of an early effort to help mitigate the potential climate catastrophe in Wales by creating a ‘National Forest’.
The Welsh Government has partnered with the Woodland Trust to deliver the campaign, which includes establishing five regional community hubs by March 2022, with another 20 planned by October of that year.
“The deep dive made it clear to me that everyone will have a part to play if we are to be successful in tackling climate change and realising our ambitions to create a National Forest for Wales,” said Lee Waters, Deputy Climate Change Minister for Wales.
“Trees are amazing – they save lives by keeping our air clean, they improve people’s physical and mental health, they are essential for tackling our nature emergency, improving biodiversity and, of course, in tackling climate change.”
“Instruction and guidance, including the location of community hubs near you and how to claim your tree, will soon be available through various information web pages but also locally on the ground via a network of volunteers in every area.”
The trees will be available to collect from one of many regional hubs, beginning March 2022, although households which are unable to plant a tree themselves will also be able to have a tree planted on their behalf at a woodland project in Wales by a team of volunteers.
“We are delighted to be working with the Welsh Government in this great community tree giveaway to get thousands of native trees in the ground,” said Natalie Buttriss, Director of Coed Cadw, the Welsh Woodland Trust.
“This project will be open to all types of people living in Wales and we hope it will inspire many individuals and local community groups to become involved. We want people from all backgrounds to be part of planting the National Forest for Wales.”
This news comes as the British government announced that, each year, woodlands across the United Kingdom save up to £185m in mental health costs because of the significant boost they offer to personal wellbeing.
