The National Forest is celebrating achieving 25 percent forest cover on its 200-square-mile site in the Midlands. When the tree-planting project began 30 years ago, forest cover was at six percent.

The National Forest Company, the nonprofit behind the environmental initiative, announced earlier this week that more than 9.5 million trees had been planted in the former industrial and coal mining landscape.

John Everitt, CEO of the National Forest Company, said this milestone was a testament to the efforts of diverse partners – landowners, farmers, businesses and local communities – who had worked on the landscape restoration program over the past 30 years.

“(The milestone) is an opportunity to celebrate successes and demonstrate how this approach can be used to support more forestry projects across the country in an effort to adapt to climate change and achieve a net zero target,” he said.

According to National Forest, the dramatic increase in forest cover on the site over the past 30 years has promoted biodiversity, improved the quality of life of local communities and helped the UK meet its climate goals.

Sparrowhawks, brown long-eared butterflies and brown tree butterflies are among the forest species that have “increased particularly strongly” at this location, it is said. At the same time, the reconnection of habitats has led to the reintroduction of rare species such as the edible dormouse.

The charity added that the forest plays a “central role” in regional economic development in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire, now supporting over 5,300 jobs and attracting more than 8.2 million visitors each year.

The project will also help promote low-carbon, environmentally friendly businesses in the region by expanding local farms’ offerings to include tree planting, leisure and tourism activities, it said.

Everitt said the success of the program shows how “trees can act as catalysts for change and that it is actually possible for housing, industry and biodiversity to thrive alongside each other.”

“At a time when the country is looking for positive ideas, the National Forest offers a successful model that can be adopted elsewhere,” he added.

The National Forest Company said it had stepped up its tree planting efforts over the past four years thanks to funding from the government’s Nature for Climate Fund and the England Tree Planting Programme. Both government funding schemes aim to use investment in nature to combat climate change.

The National Forest Company said its “next big milestone” will be to plant 10 million trees, adding that it is now focused on increasing tree cover in urban areas and through agroforestry.

Everitt pointed out that this milestone achieved by the National Forest Company comes at a time when tree planting rates in England have soared over the past year.

“The National Forest is also part of a wider success story for all tree planting in England over the past year. Last planting season saw a 52 per cent increase in tree planting rates compared to the previous year, with 5,529 hectares of new woodland planted,” he said. “This is significant progress towards meeting the Environment Act target of 16.5 per cent tree and woodland cover in England by 2050.”

However, the government has been repeatedly warned that it is still not meeting the tree planting targets set out in the Environment Act. The new Labour government recently ordered a review of the UK’s current environmental targets and the Environment Improvement Plan to step up efforts to protect and enhance nature.

You can now register to attend the fifth annual Net Zero Festival, hosted by BusinessGreen at the Business Design Centre in London on 22 and 23 October.