In his latest column, MP Terry Jermy praises organisations supporting our “beautiful and biodiverse rural area”…
As a rural MP and member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, a key focus of mine is the environment.
With World Environment Day on the horizon, I wanted to highlight two organisations I have met recently who are doing incredible work supporting our South West Norfolk environment.
One organisation is the Woodland Trust, the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity. Together, we recently walked around Dawkins Covert, a small block of mature sycamore, oak, beech and ash trees between Northwold and Cranwich, and we discussed the charity’s work at both a local and national level.
We spoke at length about agroforestry, which is the integration of trees into the farming system, while maintaining or enhancing the farm’s main agricultural output.
With seasonal weather patterns shifting and becoming less definable, and climatic conditions continuing to intensify, rural communities like ours are being increasingly affected.
The Woodland Trust works with farmers to help manage their land effectively, and since 2012, they have helped UK farmers to create over 400 schemes and plant 450,000 trees.
We also discussed the scientific research work they are doing around pathogens and diseases that have been introduced to the UK, such as sooty bark disease and ash dieback.
Another important aspect we touched on was the importance of aftercare and the maintenance of trees.
As a former councillor on both Norfolk County Council and Breckland Council, I am acutely aware of the number of council-owned trees.
Planting more trees is of course essential, but I was always frustrated about how badly these trees were looked after.
The aftercare and maintenance of trees linked to developments was also often overlooked by developers.
Planting the tree is just the first step. It’s the care and maintenance that comes after that delivers the crucial environmental benefits.
This week is Hedgehog Awareness week (May 3 to 9), and to mark this I met with Rachel from Ryston Rachel’s Hedgehog Hotel in Downham Market to discuss the incredible work she is doing locally and meet some of the hedgehogs currently in her care.
For the past 16 years, Rachel has been rescuing hedgehogs and nurturing them back to good health.
Hedgehogs are vulnerable to extinction in the UK.
There is much we can all do to support local hedgehog populations. Visit www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk for more information.
The environment affects everything we do. It’s the quality of the air we breathe and the food we eat.
Protecting our environment and safeguarding it for future generations is crucial, and I am incredibly grateful to organisations like the Woodland Trust and Rachel’s Hedgehog Hotel for all they do to help support this beautiful, biodiverse and rural area we are lucky to call home.
