The eco guide to planting more trees | Lucy Siegle

In the UK we need to double our planting rate over the next 50 years if we want our woodlands to survive

It is hard to overestimate the value of trees. They are carbon sinks that keep us alive. They suck up pollution and soak up water. For more ways in which trees rock, the Trees and Design Action Group has a list in its report, No Trees No Future - an apocalyptic title that highlights their importance.

Yet, although we may profess to love trees, the UK is one of the least-wooded countries in Europe. Woodland covers just 12% of the land. What's good about trees is that you can always plant more, but we are not too hot at that, either. The planting of broadland species (as opposed to mineral-leaching fast-growing conifers) has halved over the last six years.