The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Forest for Cornwall has announced a funding boost and partnership to form a new National Woodland Creation Partnership pilot.
The scheme is looking to drive regional tree planting across the county and will be supported through an initial £120,000 uplift from the Nature for Climate Fund.
Following on from a Northumberland partnership that was announced by the Environment Secretary in 2019, the Government is now backing this Cornwall Council-led woodland creation scheme to help identify sites in Cornwall for woodland creation and bring local stakeholders on board.
The ambition for Forest for Cornwall, which was set out and led by Cornwall Council as part of its Carbon Neutral Action Plan, is to ensure that the woodlands created are best suited for the needs of communities in Cornwall.
A mixture of targeted tree and woodland planting will be carried out to achieve this and will include; planting trees to provide shade in urban areas to help counter the high rates of skin cancer shown in the county and planting trees in areas of high deprivation to provide well-being benefits for local communities.
It is hoped the plans will bring in additional economic benefits for the county by developing 'well-designed' woodlands of scale to encourage visitors and will also be planting woodlands to enhance nature’s recovery and flood mitigation abilities.
Forestry Minister, Lord Goldsmith, said: "This exciting new partnership in Cornwall emphasises the importance of working together and using a locally-led approach to help build back greener.
"I am pleased to announce that through the government’s Nature for Climate Fund, trees will be planted where they are most needed, allowing more communities in Cornwall to have access to nature and in turn, to experience real benefits for health and wellbeing."
Forestry Commission Chair, Sir William Worsley, said: "Trees are the backbone of our urban and rural environments and essential in tackling the climate emergency.
"As the largest land managers in England and the government’s expert forestry advisors, we are excited to be part of this new pilot.
"This partnership will be crucial for deciding where trees need to be planted in Cornwall to provide maximum benefits for people, climate and nature."
Councillor Edwina Hannaford, portfolio holder for Neighbourhoods and Climate Change at Cornwall Council, said: "We are delighted that Defra is supporting our Forest for Cornwall Programme.
"As part of our commitment to tackle climate change, we are working with partners to appropriately plant hundreds of thousands of trees in our beautiful county.
"This funding will enable us to support more landowners and land managers who want to plant trees in different areas.
"In 2019 Cornwall Council issued a climate emergency and has set the ambitious target of being carbon neutral by 2030.
"As it grows the Forest for Cornwall will help us towards reaching that goal and help us create a better, greener future for the next generation."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here