The magic of trees
Rachel Shaw
Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
There’s something very satisfying about planting a tree. Firming the roots into the soil and knowing that the tiny sapling could live for tens, possibly hundreds of years.
In the tree’s lifetime, it will be a home to a host of different wildlife; provide shade, shelter and sanctuary; and lock away large amounts of carbon.
Trees are beautiful, majestic and almost magical in their impact on our lives and the planet. They can capture carbon, clean water, freshen air, reduce the impacts of flooding, protect soils from erosion and enhance our wellbeing.
If you follow the news, you’ll have heard about upcoming tree planting schemes, the Government’s planting targets and Prince Charles’ call to plant a tree to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. More trees and woodlands are certainly needed. In one of the least wooded countries in Europe, Lincolnshire is one of the least wooded counties. We could and should plant more. Trees do have a role to play in helping to deliver nature’s recovery and tackle the climate crisis. However, delve a little deeper and the picture isn’t quite so clear.
Tree planting is not the magic bullet for cutting CO2 emissions and even if we hit the ambitious targets for new woodland, this would only offset a fraction of our current and future emissions. Efforts to dramatically reduce fossil fuel use should remain our top priority and there are some circumstances where tree planting is just not appropriate.
We need to recognise the value of other habitats in tackling the climate crisis. Woodlands are not the only habitat that lock away carbon. Many others carry out exactly the same function. Meadows that are undisturbed by arable agriculture and tidal saltmarshes that buffer against coastal erosion, also lock away carbon. Peat bogs can store more carbon than any other habitat on land. But when damaged, instead of storing carbon, these habitats release it.
As we strive to plant more trees, we need to ensure that we learn from the mistakes of the past. In the 1980’s, upland peat bogs were drained and planted with row after row of non-native conifer trees. As a result, huge amounts of carbon were released into the atmosphere. Now there is a risk that other important habitats will meet the same fate.
We also need to recognise that it takes more than planting trees to create a woodland. Natural woodland ecosystems are dynamic environments which develop over hundreds of years. They contain complex networks and relationships, above ground and within the soils, between a huge array of species. Simply planting trees does not create the diverse native woodlands we need to combat the dual climate and nature emergencies.
Natural regeneration is when the trees themselves produce new seedlings and the woodland establishes without the need to plant expensive saplings. It isn’t the answer for every situation but it is more cost effective and trees established by regeneration are more likely to be better adapted to local climatic and environmental conditions. By embracing these natural processes, new woodlands can be created and existing ones expanded and the results are woodlands with a more natural species and structural composition.
The climate and ecological crises that we face are closely linked and we have to tackle them both. We need to protect and enhance our existing wild habitats, the meadows, wetlands and bogs. And we must allocate the space for nature’s recovery. If we let them, these natural habitats will do some of our climate mitigation work for us.
Picture shows an old ash tree in a nature reserve.