Volunteers in England recently planted more than 2,500 native trees along the coast of Devon, supporting a larger effort to recreate the Celtic rainforest that once dominated much of Britain's western coast, according to the Guardian.
Temperate rainforests once covered much of Ireland and the western coast of Great Britain. Today, they cover just 1% of the region, according to a report by Yale Environment 360. Though scarce, the rainforests are home to a wide range of native wildlife and plant life.
To help rebuild these vital ecosystems, more than 100 volunteers planted thousands of trees — including oak, rowan, alder, hazel, birch, willow, and holly — along the western coast of Devon. The Devon Wildlife Trust hopes to plant 4,500 more trees across 75 acres before spring, according to the Guardian. But these 7,000 saplings won't be the end of the effort. More planting and revitalization efforts will take place in years to come, giving the area 70% tree cover once the trees mature.
"Crucial in this transformation have been local people who have worked so hard in all conditions to get the trees in the ground," Claire Inglis, nature reserve officer at the Devon Wildlife Trust, told the Guardian.
Inglis told the Guardian that the rainforest will take several decades to become established but added that "the gains for nature will be much swifter."
She said: "The mix of young trees among grass pastures and hedges, along with our commitment not to use pesticides and artificial fertilizers, will be better for local moths, butterflies, and bees, along with farmland birds such as yellowhammers and barn owls. It will be fascinating to see how it develops."
To protect the saplings from deer, rabbit, and other hungry wildlife, the trust is using biodegradable tree tubes made of offcuts from the timber industry.
According to the Woodland Trust, temperate rainforests — or rainforests located in areas subject to the influence of the sea — are thought to be more threatened than tropical rainforests. These misty, wet environments are ripe with rare fungi and lichen, which grow alongside rare and endangered birds and wildlife. As the Guardian explains, temperate rainforests are also "vital carbon stores," helping to remove planet-warming carbon from the atmosphere.
Much of the United Kingdom's temperate rainforests were destroyed by human influence, including logging, agriculture, and urban development. The Wildlife Trusts estimates that 1 billion acres of temperate forest have been lost globally since 1990 alone. Threats to the little Celtic rainforests that remain include disease, invasive species, pesticides, pollution, and rising global temperatures.
Wildlife Trusts across the U.K. are completing similar restoration projects with replanting efforts in Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
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"With benefits for wildlife and carbon, it's imperative this special habitat is protected and restored to help us tackle the nature and climate crises," The Wildlife Trusts said.
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