The importance of improving tree cover in Britain

It has been reported that Britain's tree cover is only 13%, compared to 35% across all Europe: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/19/planting-billions-trees-save-planet Within Europe, only the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands have proportionally lower forest cover than Britain.

Good tree coverage is a necessity-it protects us not only from inclement weather but also from pollution and natural disasters. Planting a wide range of trees restores/improves biodiversity in an area, which is ultimately vital to our own wellbeing given the pollination that insects provide and the contribution to nutrition of the soil that the smallest creatures make. Absorption of carbon dioxide by trees not only helps us but also ensures stability of nutrition of crops by regulating ecological cycles.  They also produce oxygen, which is being crowded out by greenhouse gases; air pollution related deaths are not only due to absorption of harmful gases but also a decline in beneficial gases including oxygen.

One benefit of tree cover not often quoted is that they cool the air via their production of oxygen and absorption of carbon dioxide; temperatures have risen sharply where patches of forest have been cut down or destroyed by forest fires, and these areas are also experiencing dangerous weather more frequently.

Therefore, planting enough trees to improve our tree cover to at least 25% of all the UK is essential, even with a high population density compared to most European countries. Our towns and cities in particular have seen substantial tree-felling, especially by developers who are also destroying hedgerows, just as they are seeing further increases in traffic at a time it needs to cool. If we cannot meet the target in rural areas, we can plant the trees along our avenues and high streets, and in our parks. It is not just about making our streets nicer-it is about ensuring our wellbeing and survival.

France, Italy, and Germany are countries with high population densities and their tree cover exceeds 30% in each instance, and they all achieve this with populations greater than those of the United Kingdom's 66 million. If they can do it, so can we.

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