Woodland group’s first online meeting attracts 40

A new group which aims to establish woodlands across Tayside – including Perthshire – met online for the first time recently.

More than 40 people attended the inaugural meeting of the Tayside Communities Woodland Carbon Group which has attracted interest from people all over the region.

Ideas discussed by the group – which has grown from ideas developed by the Blairgowrie, Rattray and District Climate Cafe – include setting up new community woodlands, potentially buying land for tree planting and looking at the possibility of creating‘wildlife corridors’by joining up existing and new woodland areas.

The new group is being headed up by experienced forester Alastair Fraser and includes a number of people with a depth of experience and knowledge of forestry and ecology.

Explaining how the group came together, Alastair said:“It is now generally recognised that we face both a climate emergency and a nature emergency and that trees play an important part in stepping up to meet the need to safeguard the future for our children, grandchildren and beyond.

“Experts such as David Attenborough and Jonathan Porritt tell us that we only have what is left of this decade to make the changes that are needed.

“Planting trees is only one small step of the many required but is seen by many as the most effective way of drawing carbon back down from our atmosphere.

“We also need to protect the mature trees we have.

“The Tayside Communities Woodland Carbon Group sees a number of benefits of community woodlands, including the opportunity they provide for balancing the everyday things that we do that contribute to the climate emergency.

“They also create places where nature can thrive again and help to reduce the effects of flooding by keeping more water in the ground.

“And some would say that trees, especially native trees, are things of beauty in themselves and many of us have rediscovered the healing qualities of being out in nature over the past year.”

The group is keen to see small businesses as well as individuals and community groups get behind the initiative.

It is keen to hear from anyone who wants to support it and become a member, either as an individual, family, group or business.

For further information, email info@climatecafeblair.org.uk