Morgan Sindall is to plant more than a quarter of a million trees on what is currently poor-quality arable farmlands, in a new partnership with Blenheim Palace Estates and the Woodland Trust.
Morgan Sindall will create 15 woodlands in a bid to offset its carbon emissions, in a 25-year commitment.
The Woodland Trust said the cost of the scheme would be “far higher” than carbon offsetting abroad but that the scheme could become a blueprint for domestic woodland creation.
Currently, the UK is one of the least wooded areas of Europe, with less than 12% woodland cover, compared to around 44% for its neighbours.
The Woodland Trust warned that while the UK government is committed to planting 30,000ha of woodland, only a small portion of British woods – around 7% – are in good condition.
As Morgan Sindall plants trees on Blenheim Palace Estates land, every stage of the process will be independently monitored, tracked and studied. The Woodland Trust said that if successful, woodland creation would be wrapped into Morgan Sindall’s construction projects of the future.
