New woodland to help climate

New Exmoor woodland to tackle climate emergency

The first 300 trees have been planted at ‘Bye Wood’ (above) - a major new Exmoor woodland being created in a drive to increase tree cover in the National Park, as part of efforts to tackle the climate emergency. Eventually 13,000 trees will be growing on the site near Winsford.

It’s part of the CareMoor Woods & Trees Appeal, and Molton Monthly proudly donated one of the trees through the scheme as part of its role as a North Devon Biosphere Business Partner.

Exmoor National Park Authority Woodlands Assistant Jack Hunt, who has played a key role in the design process, explained, “We want Bye Wood to have multiple objectives: habitat creation, carbon storage, increasing landscape connectivity for wildlife, creating a space for local communities, and adding to the local sustainable economy.”

Among the new saplings will be a special ‘Jubilee Grove’ of 70 English oaks sourced locally and planted for the Queen’s Green Canopy - a nationwide tree planting campaign leading up to Her Majesty’s platinum jubilee year in 2022.

An estimated five million tonnes of carbon are stored in Exmoor’s treescape and hedgerows, helping to capture around 50,000 tonnes of carbon every year.