Truro Together November December 2022

COMMUNITY NEWS
Down to the
woods today?
Many people find walking amongst
trees a wonderful way to relax,
letting the mind wander from
everyday cares.
The sights, sounds and smells of a woodland
walk are more calming – and exhilarating -
than just looking at a screen. This is especially
true in winter when the open countryside
can seem bleak and inhospitable. Cornwall
is blessed with wonderful woodlands, many
of them accessible by public footpaths or
bridleways. Good, old-fashioned Ordnance
Survey maps can help you find them, most
dating back centuries: they were the paths
used by local people. Recently, a new kind
of path - a ‘permissive path’ - has been
developed, designated for public access
to land that is privately owned, or within a
nature reserve, like those under the care of
the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Whichever path
you use, remember there is a Country Code
that should be followed (see the relevant
page on the gov.uk website).
Watering a young tree: © The Tree Council
The Cornwall branch of the CPRE is a
charity campaigning for conservation
and environmental issues. They seek to
safeguard their green fields, farmlands and
spectacular coastal landscapes and are
particularly keen to support the plans for
ambitious tree-planting all over Cornwall,
called ‘The Forest For Cornwall’. Schemes
range from a few tree seedlings for Primary
School children to plant, covering many
hectares for new woods, or joining up
existing tracts of woodland. The aim is to
create a total of eight thousand hectares of
tree canopy across Cornwall. Many agencies
are working together to achieve this goal.
The Environment Agency, DEFRA, Natural
England and the Forestry Commission
are all involved. The National Trust, the
Woodland Trust, Cornwall Wildlife
Trust and the Cornwall AONB (Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty) are all leading
players. There are plenty of activities for
volunteers: planting, preparing ground,
or doing some after-care. If you’d like to
get involved, see the relevant websites.
The Tree Council’s National Tree Week
begins on Sunday 27th November, marking
the start of this year’s planting season.
Woodland stream: Photo Mary Poad, © Cornwall’s AONB
For more details visit:
www.cprecornwall.org.uk
10 Truro Together is part of Community Together