The launch of a new partnership will see 90,000 trees planted over the next three years in Dartmoor as part of a campaign to restore the area’s native woodland.

Utility Warehouse, a leading multi-service supplier that has pledged £270,000 for the scheme, has teamed up with Devon-based charity Moor Trees to plant the trees over the next three winters.

The trees are currently being grown in the charity’s two community tree nurseries.

The aim is to increase native broadleaf woodland cover and expand and restore the region’s temperate rainforest, a rare and declining habitat. 

Temperate rainforest is found in areas of oceanic climate, with high rainfall and humidity without extremes of temperature. This creates lush conditions, perfect for numerous plants, lichens and other wildlife, and they are excellent stores of carbon.

The trees are currently being grown in the charity’s two community tree nurseries
The trees are currently being grown in the charity’s two community tree nurseries (Moor Trees)

Dartmoor is one of the few places in the UK with existing fragments of temperate rainforest along with potential sites for future rainforests. The woodlands play an important role in providing a climate-resilient landscape and a place where wildlife can thrive.

Local landowners are also being encouraged to collaborate and plant more trees on their land.

Helen Aldis, chief executive of Moor Trees, said the partnership would help to double the number of trees planted this winter compared to last year, while Julia Denham, head of sustainability at Utility Warehouse, said she hoped the initiative would help restore the biodiversity in the UK and play a part in tackling climate change.