Sowing the Seeds to a Net Zero Carbon
Buckinghamshire trees are not only beautiful, fun to climb and very relaxing company, they quietly work extremely hard for us all, removing 180 thousand tonnes of carbon from our county’s air every year.
In recognition of the vital importance of trees in our drive to address climate change, in sustaining ecosystems and in enabling our health and happiness, Wild Pear CIC and Chiltern Rangers CIC created a unique practical and poetic project ‘Sowing the Seeds to a Net Zero Carbon’.
As part of the project, in Autumn 2021, children at Alfriston and Kingswood Schools were taught how to harvest and nurture tree seeds from their local woods. Over the winter, children revisited the woods to explore the hidden life of trees – how they communicate through their root systems, and live together in community – through drawing and animation. As human curiosity was developing above ground, the natural magic was happening under the soil: Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Spindle, Field Maple, Beech and Oak were some of around 100 seeds that germinated under the protection of hand-made tree cages, and popped up in the spring. These seedlings remain on school grounds or have been gifted out to the community to be nurtured into saplings, with the first cluster lovingly received by St Andrews Church this May.
The project is linked to Bucks Tree Mission – a pledge by Buckinghamshire Council in 2021 to plant a tree for every woman, man and child living here, and support tree planting initiatives through Community Board funding. ‘Sowing the Seeds to a Net Zero Carbon’ is one of these initiatives and was funded by High Wycombe and Beaconsfield & Chepping Wye Community Boards.
With each tree absorbing, on average, one tonne of carbon over its lifetime, and each human adult producing around ten tonnes of carbon a year, trees are one of many important ‘Natural Solutions’ to our carbon problems. Wild Pear and Chiltern Rangers vision is that Bucks Tree Mission might become an even more ambitious, shared council /community endeavour.
The two hundred plus schools in Buckinghamshire, and our countless community groups could nurture tens of thousands of trees and tens of thousands of curious minds, enabling a ‘tree care culture’ to flourish in our county. This would ensure our trees have long and healthy lives that they deserve and we depend on.
How can I get involved?
You can explore the project through an interactive graphic here: Sowing the Seeds to a Net Zero Carbon Board. To find out more about how you can get involved, please email us at lisa@wildpearcic.co.uk or diana@chilternrangers.co.uk. We hope that you will join us in discovering the the hidden life and magic of trees!
There are so many ways you can help Buckinghamshire become a tree nurturing county!
