The Woodland Trust
Various Locations
Founded in 1972, the Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity.
Our vision is a UK rich in woods and trees, enjoyed and valued by everyone.
We aim to: create new native woodland with the help of communities, schools, organisations and individuals; protect our precious ancient woods, restore the ones that are damaged and fight for those under threat; inspire people up and down the country to visit woods, plant trees, and enjoy the many benefits that woodland has to offer.
Trees are multi-faceted, incomparable and essential to life.
They stabilise the soil, purify the air, store carbon and provide homes for a spectacular variety of our best-loved wildlife. They give us raw materials and shelter, inspire our imaginations and form places of respite and play.
A world without trees and woods would be barren and bare.
After the last Ice Age, wild woods covered much of the UK. Then the arrival of man meant forests were cleared for grazing animals and agriculture. Deforestation continued at an alarming rate, and as our population grew more and more woodland was lost.
Today, the UK is one of the least wooded countries in Europe. We have just 12 per cent woodland cover; and just 40 per cent of this is native.
Ancient woodland dates back to at least 1600AD and is our closest link with the original wildwood. It is home to more species of wildlife that any other habitat in the UK. It’s no exaggeration to call this irreplaceable resource our equivalent of the rainforest, yet today it covers just 2 per cent of our land.
The Woodland Trust is fighting to ensure no further loss of ancient woodland. We want to double native woodland cover in the UK to benefit people and wildlife, and give every child the chance to plant a tree. But we can’t achieve any of these ambitious aims without you.