International Day of Forests - 21 March 2025
Today is the International Day of Forests, a day celebrating and raising awareness of the importance of forests and trees, or the benefit of current and future generations.
Forests are important carbon sinks (a forest, sea or other natural environment viewed in terms of its ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere). They absorb around 30% of carbon emissions created by burning fossil fuels, helping limit the impacts of climate change. They are also valuable ecosystems, containing around 80% of all biodiversity on land, with more than five billion people around the world using forest and non-timber forest products for food, medicine and livelihoods.
Read more here: International Day of Forests | United Nations
Arun District Council's Tree Planting Strategy aims to have planted more than 30,000 trees by 2031. This will remove carbon from the atmosphere, improve biodiversity, and enhance the appearance of the district. So far, 162 standard trees and 12,000 whips (young trees) have been planted across our district's parks and greenspaces.
If you can, consider planting trees in your gardens to help absorb carbon from the atmosphere and support wildlife in your area. Trees and shrubs can also help reduce the effects of heatwaves.