AS the warmth of spring sunshine bathes the South Downs, thousands of new life-giving trees are sprouting from the soil.
It has been a busy few months with well over 11,000 trees being planted across the region – on top of 10,000 trees planted during the previous winter.
Now the initiative, called “Trees For The Downs”, is putting out the call for new applications for even more tree planting in 2022.
Applications are welcome from landowners, farmers, parish and town councils, schools and community groups in the South Downs National Park.
The call-out comes after a huge public response to the Trees For The Downs campaign, which was launched three years ago.
So far, almost £200,000 has been raised by the South Downs National Park Trust, the official independent charity for the National Park, which has set its sights on raising £260,000 to be able to plant 100,000 trees in total.
The trees will be a mixture of disease-resistant elm trees and native species, such as oak and black poplar. Sites include schools, farms, recreation grounds and historic parks.
The trust is working with the National Park Authority’s woodlands team to deliver the project.
Sonia Lorenzo Martín, woodlands lead for the National Park Authority, said: “We’ve worked really hard with partners this winter to plant all these new trees and are excited to plant even more later this year.
“Trees are amazing and such an important part of the South Downs landscape, which has more woodland by area than any other National Park in England and Wales.
“They give us clean air to breathe and are the life support for so many animals and other plants.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to be part of nature recovery, restoring habitat that has been lost, as well as creating new habitat for nature to flourish.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the new applications that come forward.”
Thirty sites across Hampshire and Sussex have been receiving trees for planting over the past few months:
- Five elms, seven oak trees and two field maple trees were provided by the trust and dedicated to the Queen’s Green Canopy in the grounds of Glyndebourne Opera House. The Lord-Lieutenant of East Sussex, Andrew Blackman, planted one of the disease-resistant elms.
- More than 1,500 trees were planted by volunteers at Wild Heart Hill, near Worthing.
- Elms have been provided for the community at East Dean, near Chichester, to create a new avenue of elms, replacing one that was lost many years ago.
The deadline for applications is May 15 and the trees will be planted between December 2022 and February next year.
To find out more about making an application for Trees For The Downs, visit www.southdownstrust.org.uk/trees-for-the-downs/
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here