November 2015 – The Premier Paper Group, the UK’s largest independent paper merchant with a nationwide network of regional stock holding branches, held another mega day of tree planting action earlier this month, where customers and staff joined forces to plant some 2,500 trees at a site in rural Hertfordshire.

The tree planting day of action was held on the 19th November at the Woodland Trust-owned Heartwood Forest in Hertfordshire, and the native tree species that were planted included; Hawthorn, small leaved lime, alder, grey sallow, common oak, downy birch, silver birch, wild cherry, dog rose, blackthorn, aspen, field maple, crab apple, rowan and hornbeam amongst others.

This latest tree planting feat followed a hugely successful day of action at the same location last year, which is set to become the UK’s largest continuous new native woodland.

The trees were planted by both customers and the Premier Paper Group staff, who had assembled from all over the country and who persevered, despite the cold and rain to gather at the Heartwood Forest in the early hours of the morning.

In total this year, customers who have participated in Premier’s Carbon Capture scheme have helped to plant over 55,000 trees through the Woodland Trust.

Speaking about the success of this latest tree planting day at Heartwood Forest, David Jones, Premier Paper Group Marketing Director, stated, “A big thank you to everyone who attended the tree planting day, it was good to see the Carbon Capture programme in action. We managed to exceed the expectations of the Woodland Trust by planting 2,500 trees during the day. So far this year customers who have engaged in the programme have helped to plant over 55,000 trees, capturing 11,000 tonnes of CO2 – an incredible achievement!”

The Premier Paper Group, which is the UK’s largest independent paper merchant, recognises that planting trees helps soak up unwanted carbon dioxide which pollutes the atmosphere, a process known as Carbon Capture®.

Heartwood Forest:
Heartwood Forest, located near Sandbridge, just north of St Albans in Hertfordshire, is an 858 acre site and is the largest of The Woodland Trust’s woods in England and also the largest continuous new native woodland in the country. The site contains some 44 acres of precious ancient woodland, our equivalent of the rainforest, which sadly now makes up just 2% of UK land cover, and dates back to at least 1600AD as well as containing newly planted woodland. The site is seeking to become the largest new continuous native forest in England.

The Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust works tirelessly to create a UK rich in woodlands which can benefit our environment and be enjoyed and valued by everyone. Woodland not only provides a rich, bio diverse environment for wildlife but also provides us all with green, open space for rest and recreation. More than 1,200 woodlands throughout the UK are owned or managed by the Woodland Trust, covering in excess of 60,000 acres throughout the UK, with free and easy year round access for us all to enjoy. Trees improve our quality of life, making our local communities and neighbourhoods greener and more pleasant places to live.

The Woodland Trust has nearly 350 sites which contain ancient woodland of which 70% is semi-natural ancient woodland – land which has been under tree cover since at least 1600.  It also manages over 110 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and has created over 32 km² (12 sq. mi) of new woodland including 250 new community woods in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Woodland Trust is a charity registered in England and Wales (No 294344) and in Scotland (No SC038885): To find out more go to www.woodlandtrust.org.uk

Carbon Capture®

Premier Paper is offering its customers the opportunity to capture the CO₂ emissions from their paper purchases by planting and conserving native woodland right here in the UK. As a corporate partner of the Woodland Trust, Premier Paper signed up to its UK Woodland Carbon Code. This programme sets a new standard for Carbon Capture, removing it from the atmosphere through the creation of native woodland across the country.
The Carbon Capture® programme is just one of the initiatives provided to customers, with Premier Paper offering its print customers and end users the opportunity to capture the CO₂ emissions from their paper purchases, by planting and conserving native woodland right here in the UK. As a corporate partner of the Woodland Trust, Premier Paper signed up to its UK Woodland Carbon Code. This programme sets a new standard for Carbon Capture®, removing it from the atmosphere through the creation of native woodland across the country.

The scheme operates under the Government’s Woodland Carbon Code, a voluntary standard for woodland creation projects in the UK. The independent certification to this standard provides assurance and clarity about the carbon benefits of these sustainably managed woodlands. It is calculated that 25m² of native UK woodland will capture and store one tonne of CO₂ and creating large areas of new native woodland, will, over time, remove hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.