The Premier Paper Group recently took some 20 customers along with a group of teenagers from Exeter College as part of a volunteering clearing day at Houndtor Woods, Bovey Valley, held in conjunction with The Woodland Trust.
The day was organised in order to help clear Douglas Fir Saplings in Houndtor Woods, which is located on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in Devon, in preparation for the planting of more natural woodland at the site.
Those who volunteered took on a wide range of tasks during the day, including helping aid restoration, clearing conifer seeding, and helping to maintain a number of small fenced experiment plots in Houndtor and Pullabrook Woods. The work included hand work tasks, the burning and preparation of some ancient woodland sites and ‘PAWS’ restoration plots for thinning operations that will take place later in the winter.
The planting of the natural woodland at Houndtor Woods will take place from now until March next year, and Premier, along with more volunteers, plans to return to Bovey Valley to plant some saplings in March next year.
The teenagers were supervised by three tutors from their college, and the response from everyone present, including those from the college, was that they ‘had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed their day helping to clear the forest floor’.
Premier has supported the Woodland Trust over the past five years through the Woodland Carbon Scheme, and the past year has seen customers who have participated and engaged in Premier’s Carbon Capture scheme help to plant over 55,000 trees with the Woodland Trust, all of which has helped to capture some 11,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, resulting in the creation of almost 50 hectares of new native woodland in the UK, which is a fantastic environmental achievement.
Houndtor Woods, Bovey Valley:
Bovey Valley Woods comprises of three Woodland Trust sites: Hisley, Houndtor and Pullabrook. The different habitats here include oak woodland, bog habits and meadows, attracting a range of different wildlife.
Part of Hisley wood is a designated Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI). The Woodland Trust hopes to eventually restore the site back semi-natural woodland, for the benefit of wildlife and people.
The Woodland Trust
As the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, The Woodland Trust has been planting trees and standing up for woodland for over 40 years, planting an incredible 36m trees since 1972. This has helped to enhance its standing as a voice for woodland and the species that call it home. The Woodland Trust works tirelessly to create woodlands which can benefit our environment and be enjoyed and valued by everyone. Woodland not only provides a rich, bio diverse environment for wildlife but also provides us all with green, open space for rest and recreation. More than 1,200 woodlands throughout the UK are owned or managed by the Woodland Trust, covering in excess of 60,000 acres throughout the UK, with free and easy year round access for us all to enjoy. Trees improve our quality of life, making our local communities and neighbourhoods greener and more pleasant places to live.
The Woodland Trust has nearly 350 sites which contain ancient woodland of which 70% is semi-natural ancient woodland – land which has been under tree cover since at least 1600. It also manages over 110 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and has created over 32 km2 (12 sq. mi) of new woodland including 250 new community woods in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Woodland Trust believe that life is better with trees, as they improve the quality of the air that we breathe, provide the natural habitat for an array of UK wildlife (including 250 endangered species) and form nature’s magical playground for children and adults alike.
The Woodland Trust fights to protect our most wildlife-rich and unique ancient woods. Just 2% remain, as ancient woodlands aren’t afforded the protection many might imagine, and once lost they can’t be replaced. These woods are home to a variety of vulnerable species such as the dormouse. Every year The Woodland Trust helps to create over 1,500 hectares of new native woodland, many with the help of schools and communities to create urban green spaces.
The Woodland Trust is a charity registered in England and Wales (No 294344) and in Scotland (No SC038885): To find out more go to www.woodlandtrust.org.uk.
Carbon Capture
Premier Paper is offering its customers the opportunity to capture the CO2 emissions from their paper purchases by planting and conserving native woodland right here in the UK. As a corporate partner of the Woodland Trust, Premier Paper signed up to its UK Woodland Carbon Code. This programme sets a new standard for Carbon Capture, removing it from the atmosphere through the creation of native woodland across the country.
The scheme operates under the Government’s Woodland Carbon Code, a voluntary standard for woodland creation projects in the UK. The independent certification to this standard provides assurance and clarity about the carbon benefits of these sustainably managed woodlands. It is calculated that 25m² of native UK woodland will capture and store one tonne of CO2 and creating large areas of new native woodland, will, over time, remove hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. To find out more, visit www.paper.co.uk/environment/carbon-capture/.
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