Soldiers using Catterick Training Area (CTA) are set to benefit from improved facilities thanks to the planting of more than 50,000 trees.
Around half of the target 53,000 saplings have now been planted on CTA as part of an on-going contract. Employees from local branches of Enterprise Rent-a-Car added their efforts to the project on Thursday (11 December) by planting 100s more trees. Those remaining will be planted in January and February 2015.
The trees will cover six areas, spanning 40 hectares, and will complement recent planting carried out by two MOD tenant farmers who together planted 80 hectares of native trees last winter. This means by the end of planting, the area will be home to a significant 120 hectares of new woodland.
The new trees on CTA - supplied under contract by Thorpe Trees - are being planted as part of a UK-wide partnership between the Woodland Trust and Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to help improve military training for operations at no cost to the MOD. The DIO manages the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) training estate.
Enterprise Rent-a-Car is helping to fund the planting on CTA as part of its 50 Million Tree Pledge, an initiative that aims to plant trees across many countries over the next 50 years.
Maj Mark Flecchia the Commandant at CTA, said: “Woodland plays an important role in the success of military training and ultimately operations. It is a multi-functional training facility providing cover and shelter as well as features on which to base training activities. The planting on CTA will bring the total of new woodland created through this partnership with the Woodland Trust to over 500 hectares across the UK, which will be a fantastic achievement for everyone involved.”
John Tucker, Woodland Creation Director at the Woodland Trust, said: “This new woodland will not only support the MOD’s training needs, but also benefits bees, butterflies and birds, such as black grouse, a species that is currently endangered in England, that will flourish amongst its shrubby edges.
“The Woodland Trust is delighted to be working in partnership with the MOD - the second largest landowner in the UK - that enables the Woodland Trust to work towards its own aim of doubling the UK's native woodland cover. It is wonderful to see civilian and military communities working together to enhance their local area, which in turn will benefit our environment as a whole.”
Brian Waligora, General Manager for Enterprise Rent-A-Car in the North West of England, said, “This is exactly the kind of project Enterprise is looking to support through our 50 Million Tree Pledge. The planting of these trees will make a permanent difference to people who live and work in the area. We are a global business made up of a large network of branches each of which operates as an independent local business. Supporting local communities is vital to our success, and this project is a perfect example of how we can help beyond renting cars.”