Lancashire Woodland Connect
At the start of 2020 Ribble Rivers Trust launched Lancashire Woodland Connect. This is a decade-long campaign which will double the area of woodland across Lancashire. As part of Lancashire Woodland Connect we will plant more than half a million trees to reduce flooding, improve air quality and remove 100,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere.
What is lancashire woodland connect?
Our aim is simple, through Lancashire Woodland Connect we want to double the number of trees in Lancashire.
The 10-year campaign will create an expanding network of connected woodlands for the benefit of communities across the entire county.
By working with private and public sector supporters together with community-based groups and conservation charities, we are aiming to connect and create 100 kilometres of new or restored woodland alongside the Ribble, Lune, and Wyre catchments. This includes all the catchments tributaries.
What are the benefits?
Of course, trees have multiple environmental benefits. They help improve air and water quality, provide habitats and food for wildlife, keep our rivers cool, and give people places to relax and unwind. However, they also bring another huge benefit. They can help to combat climate change. In order to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets over the next decade, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has worked out that we need to plant at least 50,000 trees throughout Lancashire every year. This is precisely what Lancashire Woodland Connect aims to do.
In the last few years we’ve seen a real increase in issues caused by climate change. From summer droughts and catastrophically high river temperatures, to extreme floods which have a devastating effect on vulnerable young fish. The trees planted as part of Lancashire Woodland Connect will of course capture carbon, but they’ll also help mitigate the effects of climate change. By providing shade in summer and helping to slow the flow of water in winter, they will help protect our rivers from the worst extremes.
How you can help
All of this work doesn’t come for free. To fund this project we need to raise £500,000 per year of funding. This comes from public and private sector partners, grants, and the general public. Progress has been great so far, and we hope this exciting initiative will continue to engage thousands of sponsors, volunteers, schools and community groups.
So we really want YOU to get involved in the campaign. The easiest way to do this is to dedicate a tree. For just £15 you can contribute to the hundreds of tree planting and habitat creation projects across the county.
