It was a close call but they made it – Forestry Commission Wales’s tree planters have got all their new trees in the ground just in time for Spring.
This year’s tree planting programme was delayed by the coldest winter for over thirty years. Many forests were inaccessible from mid December and the frozen ground was unsuitable for planting.
Once conditions improved, staff and planting contractors began to race against the clock before the young trees came out of dormancy and became unsuitable for planting out in the forest.
Three million trees have now been planted in the woodlands managed by Forestry Commission Wales on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government.
As well as 2.5 million conifers, 600,000 broadleaf trees, including oak, birch, rowan and ash, have been planted to increase the diversity of trees in Wales’s forests. Increasing the diversity of tree species will make woodlands more resilient to the effects of climate change.
David Cross, Forest Management Officer, Wales, said, “This has been the most challenging planting season I can remember.
“It is the first time we have had to carry on planting this late and all hands were on deck to get the trees into the ground before their buds burst.”
The newly planted trees will have an important role to play in reducing Wales’s carbon footprint. They will provide a low carbon energy source for future generations while the coniferous forests will produce construction grade timber as a substitute for concrete or steel.
