Coed Cadw, the Woodland Trust in Wales, has delivered a major funding boost to help tackle climate change and increase tree and woodland cover across the county.
The £290k funding, delivered from the charity’s Emergency Tree Fund following £2.1 million of support from Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund, is part of six grants being delivered to local authorities across the country, planting 450,000 trees and creating green spaces in local communities most impacted by pollution and with least access to nature.
The Woodland Trust’s Emergency Tree Fund is one of the first projects in the UK receiving support through Amazon’s $100 million Right Now Climate Fund. With €20 million committed to projects across the UK and Europe, the fund has been set up to conserve, restore and improve forests, wetlands and grasslands, protecting wildlife habitats, biodiversity and quality of life for communities.
It was created to help local authorities to plant new trees and woodlands, develop tree strategies, map canopy cover, establish new tree nurseries, engage landowners and communities and deliver volunteer programmes.
In Wales, a total of £294,845 has been awarded to Wrexham. The fund will support the Wrexham Forest partnership project which seeks to increase trees and woodland across the county. Through implementing its Tree and Woodland Strategy and engaging partners, businesses, groups and individuals, the project will create a county-wide, collective commitment to enhancing and protecting trees and woodland.
Cllr David A Bithell, Deputy Leader and Climate Champion, said, “We know that trees and woodlands are an essential part of our towns and countryside. They are important for our health, wellbeing and quality of life – and so we are thrilled to receive this funding which will help us to increase trees and woodlands across the county and contribute to reducing our carbon footprint.”
Natalie Buttriss, Director at Coed Cadw (the Woodland Trust in Wales) said, “Between 2006-2013, some 7,000 large trees were lost in Wales, and between 2009-2013, 159 out of our 220 towns showed an overall decline in tree cover. But we know that there is the desire to change this – and our Emergency Tree Fund exists to help local authorities like Wrexham Council to turn such ambitions into reality.”
“The Woodland Trust has a history of science-based and community-focused work that has a meaningful and lasting impact on biodiversity in the UK, which is why we have chosen to support them as one of our first UK Right Now Climate Fund commitments”, said Zak Watts, Director of Europe Sustainability, Amazon.
He continued, “Alongside co-founding the Climate Pledge in 2019 and making a commitment to achieve net-zero carbon by 2040, we are making significant contributions to nature-based solutions to supplement our own carbon-reduction efforts and help restore and preserve the natural world. We are proud to support the charity’s Emergency Tree Fund and look forward to seeing 450,000 more trees planted by local authorities across the UK.”
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