Celtic Rainforest to be Restored

The National Trust plans to plant more than 100 000 trees over 50 hectares in north Devon, England in an effort to restore a temperate rainforest which once covered the area.

“These trees will not only provide a habitat for wildlife but also fix carbon into the soil, purify air and water, and provide a place for people to enjoy,” Bryony Wilde, project manager for the National Trust, told an international publication recently.

“Simple grassland fields with little nature value are now being transformed into a dynamic mosaic of habitats to create a bigger, better, more connected landscape,” Wilde added.

The temperate rainforests – which are one of the most diverse in Britain – currently cover just one per cent of the area. However, they used to be prominent along the western seaboard of the United Kingdom.

Unfortunately, the habitat has drastically shrunk due to a variety of causes including deforestation, climate change, invasive species, air pollution, and diseases like ash dieback.

The unique climate found within the forest is the perfect home for both flora and fauna, including rare ferns and pine martens.

A collection of volunteers, schoolchildren and community groups, will be coming together to make the ambitious project happen.

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