Large-scale tree planting schemes key to cutting emissions

Britain's National Forest, one of the longest-running tree planting projects in the UK, has been steadily transforming from a former industrial landscape into a green haven for the last 30 years. 

The expanding areas of young native broadleaf trees, with their subtle range of warm autumnal colors, are in stark contrast to the bleak disused coal mining land they were planted on. 

"We've changed the landscape from initially 6 percent tree cover up to 25 percent tree cover now, planting over 9.5 million trees," says Stuart Dainton, the Head of Land Management and Estate at The National Forest. 

"And our ambition over 200 square miles [518 sq km] is to plant about a third of the area as tree cover."

By sequestering carbon, trees can make a vital contribution to reducing emissions and fighting climate change. With 2024 set to be the warmest yet on record globally, the UK's Climate Change Committee, which advises the government, has warned the country's current climate plans only cover around a third of emissions cuts needed to meet 2030 targets. 

It recommends planting millions more trees as one of several steps to accelerate progress towards net zero. According to current estimates, the National Forest is already storing an estimated 450,000 tonnes of carbon, with plans to reassess figures as planting continues and carbon sequestration increases. 

"Each year in the National Forest we plant around 150,000 trees, which is directly contributing to those annual (net zero) targets," says Dr. Heather Gilbert, the Research and Evidence Manager at the National Forest. 

"As they grow, they use the carbon to help them with the process, so all that carbon dioxide that's out in the air will get brought in to help the trees grow, and then it stores that carbon so that it's no longer in the atmosphere. 

"Because these trees are young, they will continue capturing carbon at a high rate while they're in that young growth stage. When they get to full maturation they will act as carbon stores."

The UK is one of the least forested countries in all Europe, but the government is currently offering several incentives to create more woodland nationwide. The National Forest benefits from one of these schemes, the Nature for Climate Fund, but also achieves its tree planting goals by working with individual donors, communities, and private landowners and farmers. 

"In the light of the climate crisis, it's always important to be working as fast as we can," says Gilbert. "We are really striving to support our landowners so we can plant on their land and help them diversify their income streams and see trees as an opportunity."

The world is warming fast and growing trees takes time. Planting tiny whips by tractor and by hand is painstaking work and, in the months to come, careful monitoring is needed to ensure saplings survive. But the National Forest says areas of flourishing young woodland established over 15 years show the scheme can work. 

"What it really demonstrates is that landscape regeneration is possible," says Dainton. "The National Forest is a fantastic example showing that with the right support, working with communities, working with partners, you can have a landscape scale transformation, so that we can still produce food, we can sequester carbon, we can actually help provide areas for the local communities to be out enjoying spaces for their own health and wellbeing, while really helping nature at the same time." 

Established trees benefit the environment in many other ways too, improving the natural habitat, soil and biodiversity. Much more effort lies ahead to recreate this elsewhere on the scale needed to slow climate change, but inspired by the success of the National Forest, the government is planning to fund another similar project in the near future.