What You Can Give to the Woodlands
Image from Larisa-K at Pixabay
What about a different kind of New Year resolution? We all know that the diet will have gone out of the window by mid-January, and giving up alcohol may be very healthy but… a glass of vino to look forward to after a long day can seem the one thing one that is stopping us from losing the plot about midday. Instead, what about promising a charity a few quid – or some volunteering which gives so many opportunities to meet new people and feel more inclined to refuse that piece of chocolate cake.
One very worthwhile project is woodland conservation.
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s largest of these, with a vision of a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature. It says: “We fight to protect woods and trees, preventing the loss of irreplaceable habitat, nature and carbon stores for a healthier future for everyone. We bring damaged ancient woods back to life, restoring ecosystems to improve landscape resilience so that nature and people can thrive.
“We create quality native woods and plant native trees to benefit nature, climate and people now and for the future.”
It has responsibility for more than a thousand woods, keeping them open for us to explore and enjoy, inspiring a love for woods and trees for generations to come.
Image from Alexas_fotos at Pixabay
Its website is a wealth of information, including how to identify owl calls. I can now recognise the rather human and somewhat disapproving sound of the long-eared owl. And I didn’t know that the barn owl and the screech owl are one and the same. Shame on me, but thanks to the website I will now know what I am hearing in the dead of night and not be tempted to phone the police.
The website offers many opportunities for volunteering , conservation or just enjoying woodland spaces and you can become a member for surprisingly little.
Take a look. Who knows? Getting involved might be something that will last a lifetime.
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/
