PEOPLE in South East Cornwall have been planting saplings as part of a drive to creating 8,000 hectares of new forest in the county.In the Tamar Valley, projects in Calstock and in St Dominick have been getting under way.

Forest For Calstock Parish is a tree planting scheme in the Calstock parish area and throughout the planting days, various members of the community armed with wellies, spades, and various gardening implements descended on Calstock playing field.

The previously trimly cut grass bank has now been planted with sleeping trees and bushes, ready to spring into life in the new year. Dozens of residents came out with the trees, tools, and knowhow to bring the project to fruition.

Stuart Wood, the Forest for Cornwall Project Officer, was first to break the ground with a planting demonstration. Local volunteers from all over Calstock, led by Calstock co-ordinator Jane Weatherby, followed suit. Forest for Calstock chair, parish councillor Alastair Tinto, of the South East Cornwall Labour Party, and parish councillor Theo Brown, of South East Cornwall Liberal Democrats, joined the workforce.

Theo said: “Forest for Calstock Parish is a fantastic initiative to promote tree planting, the environment, and community action. Support from the whole of Calstock Parish has been fantastic, and would not have been possible without the help and crowdfunding from local people.”

Hundreds of trees are being planted across Calstock Parish, in Calstock, Albaston, and St Ann’s Chapel.

Theo said that the number of trees being planted specifically is 1,300, and the match funding that got the project going was £1,000 from the previous Liberal and Independents administration under the flagship ‘Projects that Matter’.

If you want to get involved, please contact Calstock Parish Council at [email protected] 01822 748847.Meanwhile near Looe, the Tregoad Holiday Park has answered calls from Cornwall Council to help plant the Forest for Cornwall, and 345 trees were planted on site in time for National Tree Week. The trees have been planted in collaboration with St Martin-By-Looe Parish Council and Looe Town Council, and form part of county-wide efforts to help tackle the climate emergency. Cornwall Council has been urging individuals and businesses to plant trees in support of its Forest for Cornwall campaign, which aims for carbon-absorbing woodlands and forests to be planted across 8,000 hectares of land — the equivalent of 15 football pitches, or 2% of the land area in the county.Robert Henly, St Martin-By-Looe Parish Council chairman, said: “We have an ambitious target to help Cornwall meet net-zero emissions by 2030, and the only way we will achieve this is through community collaboration. Support from local businesses is crucial, and it is encouraging to see businesses like Tregoad Holiday Park contributing a significant investment towards helping its local environment. The park’s commitment to planting over 300 trees takes us one step closer to achieving our county’s environmental goals.”