Fancy getting your wellies on for tree planting at the Sloc?

Thu, 06 Feb 2020

A major tree-planting initiative has begun in the South of the Island and needs more volunteers for the next phase.

 

Rushen Parish Commissioners, in conjunction with the Manx Woodland Trust and the Forestry Division of DEFA, launched the scheme just above the Sloc Road, a few hundred yards north of the Commissioners’ picnic area on Sunday 2nd February.

 

According to the Woodland Trust, 320 trees were planted by 30 volunteers, which will continue over the next five consecutive Sundays except for this weekend, as the predicted bad weather means the tree planting will be swapped from Sunday to Saturday 8th February.

 

Rushen Commissioners are seeking as many people as possible to volunteer to help with the planting and become involved.

 

They are advising that work will begin each Sunday at 10.30 am and continue for two to three hours - volunteers are welcome to stay for as long as they wish.

 

Lead Commissioner for the scheme, David Radcliffe said: 'In November 2018 the Commissioners took the initial decision to approach DEFA to look at the feasibility of establishing a plantation in the Parish. The main driver for the approach was that it was seen as a hands-on and useful way that the Commissioners could raise awareness and address the issue of Climate Change and also as a project that the community could become involved in. 

 

'Rushen Commissioners are supportive of the Government's Climate Change Action Plan and look forward to contributing further to this in the future. Trees are important as they will provide a stopgap over the coming decades by absorbing CO2 as they grow while at the same time the world cuts its carbon emissions. Every tree will help.'

 

Rushen Commissioners said they are keen to make their investment go beyond, by repeating the exercise in future years.

 

For more information or if you wish to sponsor some trees, call 834501 or 456784.

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