On Saturday 11th November we hosted Cornwall Council’s Forest for Cornwall team at our cafe, Heart and Soul, to talk to local residents about plans to plant more trees in Newquay and to give away free tree saplings to plant in residents own gardens as part of the Back Garden Forest project.
The event was a huge success and hundreds of small trees were given out to local residents, to be planted across Cornwall. And the project continued with Cormac donating 200 trees to the project in January. These trees will be planted along Chester Road near Newquay Orchard.
Forest for Cornwall supports the residents, businesses and communities of Cornwall to plant woodlands, orchards, hedgerows, parks and gardens to help tackle the climate and ecological emergencies by planting the right trees, in the right place for the right purpose.
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Yet, as we witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, nature in abundance stands to benefit both people and the planet massively. From boosting people’s wellbeing by connecting them to the natural world, to tackling climate change, the case for restoring our natural environment as quickly as possible is undeniable.
With the government’s legally binding commitment to stop the decline of species abundance by 2030, improving green spaces is key. The Woodland Trust charity is helping to drive meaningful action by planting more than 50 million trees by 2025 through their Forest for My Place programme. They’re working with communities to create tree strategies to meet NetZero targets by planting trees and creating diverse woodlands which will soak up carbon and reduce pollution.
The event was a great opportunity to bring the community of Newquay together with the Forest for Cornwall experts to offer advice for tree planting, assistance in finding funding and grants, training for tree maintenance, and support to become Tree Wardens. It was a fantastic day and lovely to see residents come together to support the local community, share ideas, inspire and engage future generations.
So many were eager to help celebrate and uplift Cornwall’s beautiful trees and woodlands by taking one of the 1,000 free cell grown trees Forest for Cornwall on offer – thanks to funding support from the Woodland Trust’s Emergency Tree Fund. There was a mix of species like hazel, crab apple, dogwood, rowan and whitebeam, selected to help diversify the local natural environment.
“It was a great turnout and heartening to see so many people keen to play their part in the Forest for Cornwall’s mission. Every tree planted in a garden or local community space is as vital as planting hectares of trees in the countryside. Urban trees make a difference to our future, wildlife and our well being right where we are at our doorstep.”
Meike Weiser, Forest for Cornwall Project Officer
It was wonderful to welcome so many people to Newquay Orchard to learn how we can all play our part in creating a more sustainable future for our community!