The total is currently almost 75,000 and the National Park hopes to reach the target as it marks its 15th birthday this year.
The tree planting is creating a new wildlife habitat and increasing carbon storage to help mitigate climate change and improve soil quality. The trees are a mixture of disease-resistant Elm trees and native species, such as Oak and Black Poplar,
Nick Heasman pictured above, a Countryside and Policy Manager for the National Park, said: “Trees provide clean air for us to breathe, enrich our soils, provide a vital habitat for wildlife and, crucially, are amazing carbon capturers.”
The green shoots of nature recovery are emerging in some sites where trees have been planted over the past five years. The Park Trust is inviting expressions of interest for tree planting for the winter of 2025/2026. To make an application before the deadline of 31 March 2025 visit https://southdownstrust.org.uk/trees-for-the-downs-fund/
More than 20,000 tree plantings and a new woodland the size of five football pitches are part of a major nature recovery drive this winter as it gets ever closer to smashing its target of planting 100,000 trees by the middle of this decade.