‘Forests’ the size of tennis courts to save planet

WOODLANDS the size of tennis courts known as ‘tiny forests’ could help restore nature to cities under a new scheme.

The pocket woodlands could help save wildlife and fight climate change.

And the UK’s first ‘tiny forest’ is to be in Witney, Oxfordshire.

Around 600 native trees from oaks, birches and elders to dogwoods, crab apples and blackthorns will be planted in the small forests which mimic natural woodland.

Environmental charity Earthwatch Europe and Witney Town Council are planting the ‘forests’ with the help of volunteers. Each is designed to fit into a small area – around 200 square metres – to make it suitable for urban areas which are short on space.

The tiny woodlands can store carbon in trees and lower urban temperatures which can help fight climate change.

They can also soak up water to reduce flooding and provide a habitat for a range of wildlife.

The Mail’s Be A Tree Angel campaign is supporting efforts to plant trees across the UK. With the backing of our readers and business leaders, we aim to plant more than 100,000 trees across the country.

After the first tiny forest, Earthwatch will plant a second in Oxford and eventually hopes to plant hundreds across the

UK. Earthwatch is rolling out the scheme with the support of IVN Nature Education – a Dutch organisation that has planted nearly 100 tiny forests in the Netherlands.

Victor Beumer, a researcher at Earthwatch, said: ‘We hope to inspire individuals, businesses and government to take environmental action, by supporting a forest in their local area.’

The Amazon rainforest could collapse in less than 50 years, scientists have claimed.

Their predictions found that ecosystems are deteriorating at a ‘faster rate’ than originally thought and the entire rainforest could shift to a ‘savannahtype ecosystem’ in just 49 years.