A walk in the woods on the International Day of Forests.
I invite you to join me for a collective walk in the woods! To feel the stillness in the air, listen to the birdsong, see the explosion of catkins on the Hazel trees and purple buds on the Alders. To be a world away from the cacophony of news and online demands for every minute of your attention.
Our forests give us so much; a place to walk, a place to relax, materials to build, protection from the glare of the sun, food, a wealth of biodiversity. They are also guardians of our climate; removing and storing carbon from the atmosphere. In 2012 the United Nations General Assembly established the International Day of Forests to raise awareness on the importance of forests and trees for biodiversity, climate and human well-being.
Walking through Glandwr Forest, I am surrounded by majestic beauty and young trees, buoyed by the knowledge that there are so many people and organisations working to protect and restore forests. Experts and enthusiasts making a difference.
Why? Is it because they love walking in their community woodlands? Are they working to encourage the return of rare species? Are they trying to return trees to the hillsides? Each person has their own motivation, what they have in common is action.
Katharine Hayhoe talks about connecting our head to our heart to our hands.“The majority of people are worried, but the majority of people don’t know what to do. And they’re not activated. If we don’t help people connect their head to their heart to their hands, we could have a whole lot of worried people and they’re not doing anything. What matters is what we do.” 1
So this International Day of Forests, how can collectively get more people involved? What stories can we share to help build optimism and momentum?
We love following the work of Stump Up for Trees. They recently planted 2 hectares of Sweet Chestnut, “The trees will be coppiced in rotation in the future: the farmer is growing his own fenceposts.” It is all part of their mission to plant 1,000,000 trees in the Bannau Brycheiniog. What a mission!
Did you know that Monmouthshire County Council has become the world’s first Deforestation Free Champion Council? This is part of a Size of Wales campaign to eliminate deforestation from the Welsh economy. They have some amazing resources that people can use in their own businesses in Wales and beyond.
And now to The Carbon Community, where we aim to bring together trees, science and people to accelerate carbon removal from the atmosphere. Our Glandwr Forest Carbon Study is entering its fifth year looking at two nature-based treatments which aim to improve tree resilience, tree growth and carbon sequestration. The research is being led by scientists from Imperial College London and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew supported by over 350 people who have been involved in our community science volunteering program since it started in 2021.
This International Day of Forests, we celebrate everyone protecting and restoring trees and woodlands. What stories will you share to encourage more people to take a walk in the woods and care for trees?
Resources:
Join The Carbon Community as a volunteer.
Footnotes:
1) Katharine Hayhoe quote is from the Outrage & Optimism podcast episode, Why Ignoring Women Endangers the Climate | International Women’s Day 2025
