Introduction

The issue of climate change has become a global concern in recent years. Several countries around the world have started taking measures to address climate change by promoting sustainable practices like planting trees, reducing greenhouse gases emissions and conserving energy. One such country is the UK, which has been actively promoting reforestation and afforestation to create a healthier environment. In this article, we will explore how many trees were planted in the UK in 2018.

The Campaign for UK Trees

In May 2018, the UK government launched the ambitious "Northern Forest" scheme to plant millions of trees to create a new forest from Liverpool to Hull. The scheme aimed to plant more than 50 million trees within 25 years to increase the UK’s forest coverage from 13% to 17%. This will be an important step towards the UK’s commitment to increase its forest cover by 12,000 hectares by 2020. Various agencies, including the Woodland Trust, Forestry Commission, and Community Forests, and landowners and farmers, are collaborating to achieve the target of planting some 1,500 hectares of forests in England in 2018 alone.

Forestry Commission and Woodland Trust Plantations

Forestry Commission, a government department in England that oversees the management of public forests, reported planting over 1,000 hectares of trees in the UK in the 2017-2018 financial year. The numbers for 2018-2019 have not been released yet. On the other hand, the Woodland Trust, a charity that has been promoting woodland planting in the UK, planted more than 1.25 million trees through its Woodland Carbon Code scheme in 2017. The charity has an ambitious project to plant 64 million trees in the UK over the next 10 years. This project aims to combat climate change, create green spaces, and improve biodiversity in the UK.

Commercial Forest Plantations

Apart from government-led and charity-led schemes, there are various commercial forest plantations in the UK which plant millions of trees every year. For example, Tilhill Forestry, the UK’s largest forestry management company, planted an impressive 4 million trees across the country in 2018. Similarly, Scottish Woodlands, another forestry management company, planted around 1.25 million trees in 2018 as part of their efforts to conserve the environment.

Conclusion

The UK is making significant progress in its efforts to increase its forest cover, combat climate change, and promote sustainable practices. Government-led schemes, along with charity-led and commercial initiatives, have resulted in the planting of millions of trees across the country in 2018. The efforts of various agencies, landowners, and farmers are commendable and provide a ray of hope to tackle the challenges posed by climate change.