The Premier Paper Group, the UK’s largest independent paper merchant, has announced that it is planning to hold another of its successful tree planting action days.
They aim to plant around 1,000 trees for each year of its five-year association with The Woodland Trust.
Premier plans to take 200 people to help assist with the tree planting, comprising of a mixture of staff and customers, with the event scheduled to take place on the 24th November at the Woodland Trust-owned Heartwood Forest in Hertfordshire.
The Premier customers and staff will be looking to plant a wide variety of native tree species at the location, including; Hawthorn, small leaved lime, alder, grey sallow, common oak, downy birch, silver birch, wild cherry, dog rose, blackthorn, aspen, field maple, crab apple, rowan and hornbeam amongst others.
This latest tree planting feat is the third successive Premier tree planting event to take place at Heartwood Forest, which is set to become the UK’s largest continuous new native woodland.
Over the past year customers who participated and engaged in Premier’s Carbon Capture scheme have helped to plant over 55,000 trees with the Woodland Trust, all of which has helped to capture some 11,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, which is a fantastic environmental achievement.
Commenting on this latest planned tree planting day of action, and the five year anniversary of the association with The Woodland Trust, Premier Paper Group, Marketing Director, Dave Jones, stated, “Our Carbon Capture programme has gone from strength to strength over the last 5 years with over 380 customers now fully engaged with the scheme, with 100% of the revenue raised from the Carbon Capture programme going directly to the Woodland Trust, making a real contribution to the creation of new native woodland across the UK.”
Dave Jones went on to say “The success of Carbon Capture is that it is a great way for organizations to demonstrate their environmental values to their stakeholders. The programme provides support with marketing communication material, certificates from the Woodland Trust detailing the amount of CO₂ captured and the opportunity for organizations to invite their customers and stakeholders to come and take part in tree planting days.”
“Woodland creation in the UK not only locks up CO₂ but creates important habitats for wildlife and green spaces for local communities.”
Heartwood Forest
Heartwood Forest, located near Sandbridge, just north of St Albans in Hertfordshire, is an 858-acre site and is the largest of The Woodland Trust’s woods in England and also the largest continuous new native woodland in the country. Already some 500,000 trees have been planted at the site, which contains some 44 acres of precious ancient woodland, our equivalent of the rainforest, which sadly now makes up just 2% of UK land cover, and dates back to at least 1600AD as well as containing newly planted woodland. The site is seeking to become the largest new continuous native forest in England.
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.
