IT has certainly been a hot summer, and while many of us have enjoyed the sunshine, periods of extreme heat can be particularly difficult for older people and those with health problems. The heat has also put pressure on our farmers, growers, wildlife, rivers, gardens and parks .

At the same time, many of us are still feeling the effects of last winter's storms, which caused widespread damage across Cornwall resulting in the loss of many trees, including mature specimens that had stood for generations.

Taken together, these events are a reminder that our climate is changing and we need to replace trees we have lost, create new green spaces and think carefully about how we prepare for the future.

Keeping our towns and villages cooler, greener and more resilient needs to become part of how we plan for the years ahead, and trees have an enormous role to play. They provide shade, cool our streets, improve air quality, support wildlife, absorb carbon and reduce flood risk by slowing the movement of water across the landscape.

The Liberal Democrats have pledged to plant at least 60 million trees a year, nationally, to help restore woodland habitats as part of a wider “nature-based solutions” approach to tackling climate change.

However, this is not simply an environmental issue. Green spaces make our communities healthier, more attractive and more resilient. They improve wellbeing, encourage activity making Cornwall an even better place to live.

The Forest for Cornwall programme has, since its launch in 2019, planted old more than two million trees across the Duchy through projects involving residents, schools, farmers, community groups and businesses. So successful has the scheme been, that Cornwall Council has been given more than £8m in funding to continue the good work.

What makes the programme so successful is that it is not creating one large forest in a single location but increasing tree cover right across Cornwall through woodlands, orchards, hedgerows, agroforestry schemes and street trees. It has helped establish 825 hectares of woodland, 167 orchards, 495 hectares of agroforestry and more than 82 kilometres of new hedgerow.

There is also a strong economic case for planting trees. More than 120 farms are involved in agroforestry projects - integrating trees into productive agricultural land to improve biodiversity, shelter livestock and strengthen resilience to changing weather patterns.

Every single one of us can get involved too. There are schemes to help residents plant trees in their gardens, encourage community groups to create orchards and green spaces, support schools to involve young people in planting projects and outdoor learning, while farmers and landowners can access support to increase tree cover on their land.

Forest for Cornwall’s success has been built on the efforts of thousands of residents from across the Duchy coming together with one goal.

It shows just how much can be achieved when people work together; and together is how we can help mitigate the impact of climate change and ensure future generations inherit a greener, healthier and more resilient Cornwall.