Another summer holiday finished! For this week’s eco-Thursday post, we’re going to focus on trees. We’re linking this to going back to school because trees can represent stability and reassurance, as well as improving wellbeing.
There’s a range of evidence for the mental and physical health benefits of being in close proximity to trees.
This includes: having restorative and therapeutic effects on the mind, beneficial effects for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, lowering blood pressure, enhancing moods, and improving self-esteem!
So, we’re focusing on the work being done by the Woodland Trust. The Woodland Trust are a national
charity working to see the UK rich in woodlands and trees, to preserve biodiversity and our natural environment.
They’re offering hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities for free to help improve wellbeing, local environments, and act as carbon sinks to help meet the Government’s net zero target! They’re currently accepting applications for a tree distribution in March 2022. These could create hedges, copses, year-round colour patches, or areas focused on attracting wildlife. See here for more information.
The Woodland Trust are also running a fun competition to find the UK’s favourite tree on Twitter! Upload a photo of your tree tagging them and using the hashtag #TreeOfTheWeek for your submission. The tree in the photo on the right is from my childhood garden, with cooking apples we always used to make crumble in the Autumn!