SWOG members are already clear about the importance of trees in their own lives and to society as a whole, so let’s all welcome the Charter for Trees, Woods and People.
SWOG is joining more than 40 organisations led by the Woodland Trust in a campaign to celebrate the value of our trees and woods and secure their future by creating a new Charter for Trees, Woods and People.
The new charter will be launched in November 2017, which marks 800 years since Henry lll signed the original Charter of the Forest. This influential charter protected and restored the rights of people to access and use the Royal Forests.
Today, our nation’s woods and trees are facing unprecedented pressures from development, pests and diseases and climate change. They risk being neglected, undervalued and forgotten. Now is the time to create a new and broader charter that recognises the importance of trees in our society, celebrates their enormous contribution to our lives, and acts now so that future generations can benefit from them too.
The coalition’s ambition is that the principles set out in the 2017 charter will articulate the relationship between people and trees in the UK in the 21st century. The charter will provide guidance and inspiration for policy, practice, innovation and enjoyment. It will redefine the everyday benefits that we all gain from woods and trees in our lives, for everyone, from Government to businesses, communities and individuals.
How you can join in
The charter will be rooted in stories and memories that show us how trees have shaped our society, landscape and lives. To kick the campaign off, we are asking people from all corners of the UK to share their ‘tree stories’ of treasured or significant moments in their lives that would not have been possible without trees, to help create a charter that reflects the true meaning and value of trees and woods to the people of the UK.
SWOG members, perhaps more than most, have a fund of great stories, about why they love woodland and how they manage and enjoy their woods. We hope you’ll share them with the world via the Forest Charter campaign.