THE FOREST OF MARSTON VALE TRUST
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Mission Statement
Our vision is to make the Forest of Marston Vale a place defined by the trees and woodlands that cover 30% of its 61 square miles between Bedford and Milton Keynes. Where communities, businesses and the environment thrive alongside each other, in a sustainable and balanced way; a place where people are proud to live, work and play. We will achieve our vision by: * Identity - we will work to create a distinct character and strong sense of place for the Forest of Marston Vale. * Fundraising and Investment - we will identify and maximise opportunities to attract financial support for our work and to generate income to fund our vision. * Tree planting - we will continue an ambitious programme of tree planting and woodland creation, and encourage action by others, to achieve the target of 30% tree cover in the Forest area. * Influence - we will take a proactive role in securing environmental benefits from the growth of the region, influencing planned change to deliver our vision. * Forest management - as the Forest grows, we will champion the positive and sustainable management of woodlands and other habitats to ensure they provide their full range of products and benefits to the region. * Educate - we will inform and educate people about the Forest of Marston Vale, and about the past, present and future of the area, and help them understand the benefits the Forest brings. * Engage - we will build strong partnerships with individuals, communities, authorities, businesses, funding organisations and the media to help deliver our vision. * Inspire - we will inspire individuals, communities and organisations to share and contribute to our vision for the Forest of Marston Vale.
About This Cause
The Forest of Marston Vale Trust is a charity planting trees and using woodlands to make life better for people and wildlife in the Marston Vale. The Forest of Marston Vale is the 61 square miles between Bedford and Milton Keynes which was a very different place before we came along. Massive pits had been dug throughout the countryside to supply Stewartby Brickworks with clay – many were then filled with waste and became landfill. Tree cover was a pitiful 3% - a third of the national average at the time. To help the area recover from the effects of these industries, the Government made the area a Community Forest - one of 12 in England – in the early 90s. The idea was that planting trees and using woodlands would make life better for people, and wildlife. Today the Forest area is greener so our challenge is keeping the balance between the environment and new developments like housing and warehouses. We’re working towards 30% tree cover, which is another 5 million trees. Every time a new development goes ahead we work hard to make sure that, overall, the environment benefits – aka there’s a net environmental gain. Trees make life better for all of us – for people, for wildlife and for the planet. They help to cool and clean our air, lock up carbon, reduce flooding, provide sustainable raw materials, and are our best hope in combatting the climate crisis. The Forest of Marston Vale Trust has planted over 2.75 million trees and shrubs so far in the Forest and surrounding area. For people, trees make life better because we all feel healthier and happier when we’re surrounded by trees and nature. However, trees don’t just look pretty – they deliver lots of other real benefits: * The trees we've planted and the woodlands we've created are a nice green wedge in an area that has a lot of development planned. Many of our woodlands are strategically placed buffers between development and the countryside. * It’s estimated that we’ve saved the NHS £4.95m a year from the physical health benefits that the Forest provides. * We’ve supported/created 167 jobs per year, either directly or by using local contractors. * Getting outdoors is good for our mental health. Trees make life better for wildlife too. One mature oak can house up to 500 species. We plant a mix of native, English, broadleaf trees which create homes for wildlife from tiny insects to birds of prey. With a rapidly declining insect population, the effects of which will be felt all the way up the food chain, creating diverse habitats is more important than ever. When we plant a woodland it isn’t just about planting as many trees as possible – each woodland has it’s own design to provide the best mix of habitats for that area. We create grasslands, reedbeds, wetlands, woodlands and hedgerows to maximise bio-diversity. We manage the different habitats within all of our woodlands with specific wildlife in mind – like at Rectory Wood, where we’ve planted blackthorn and oak in close proximity to each other to specifically encourage the growth of the black hairstreak butterfly population. Trees also make life better for the planet. We’re officially in a climate emergency and we all have a responsibility to take action – whether it’s reducing waste and recycling at home and at work or supporting environmental campaigns. The 61 square mile are of the Forest of Marston Vale may not be the size of the Amazon but every single tree planted makes a difference. We’ve taken tree cover in the Forest area from 3.6% to over 17% – our goal is 30%. The trees we’ve planted so far already remove 4917 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere – that’s the same as the emissions from 2000 family cars. Every year we plant thousands of trees – sometimes on land we’ve bought; other times we help others plant on their own land. We also give hundreds of trees to Forest residents every year as part of our Plant One On Us campaign – so far we’ve given away over 500 trees. We know that the work we're doing makes a difference, to people, to wildlife and to the environment. One of our many challenges is raising funds to enable us to continue our work. Land is expensive and managing woodlands is also expensive. It isn't as simple as putting a tree in the ground and walking away - it costs £20 to plant one tree and look after it for just 5 years. Given that we have a vision of planting 5 million more trees, we'll continue to work hard to raise the funds to achieve this.