Premier plants a further 1000 trees

Print Solutions GreenPrint

The Premier Paper Group has held the latest of its successful tree planting action days in conjunction with the Woodland Trust, with some 1000 new sapling trees planted by customers and staff at the Pullabrook Wood in the Bovey Valley National Nature Reserve.

Braving torrential rain and wintery conditions, members of Premier’s staff, together with some 20 customers, helped to plant the saplings, helping to regrow and reflourish a forest area which had suffered an outbreak of the tree disease spread by Japanese Larch, a non-native tree species that was introduced to the woodland shortly after the Second World War.

The disease is sadly becoming an increasing problem for woodland owners as it gradually spreads and infects larch trees. It is a fungus like disease which spreads and that causes extensive damage to trees and other plants, but is particularly dominant where stands of larch are growing in timber plantations. Since 2009, when it was discovered infecting and killing large numbers of Japanese larch trees in South West England, the Forestry Commission has developed a surveillance programme to monitor the spread of the infection.

The disease is regularly referred to by its scientific name Phytophthora ramorum and was diagnosed at Pullabrook Woods by the Forestry Commission’s Plant Health Team earlier last year. To reduce the chances of continuing infection, the larch stands had to be clear felled at the site prior to this recent event, and so following this, the area was prepared and cleared in preparation for the tree planting day by Premier staff and students from Exeter College back in November last year.

The new saplings that were planted consisted of a variety of native woodland specie, including oak, birch, blackthorn, and wild cherry.

During the past year, more than 65,000 trees have been planted by Premier’s customers, all of whom have participated and engaged in Premier’s Carbon Capture scheme, which has helped to capture some 11,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Commenting on this latest tree planting day of action, Premier Paper Group, marketing executive, Brad Goldsmith, stated: ‘There is an immense sense of achievement in braving the elements, to plant a significant number of trees that will help regenerate this beautiful woodland. This is a great example of how customers, who engage in our Carbon Capture programme make a real difference in creating habitats that are vital to both wildlife and people.’