20TH ANNIVERSARY SPONSORED TREE PLANTING EVENT IN HIGHLANDS

Conservation charity Trees for Life is calling on people help celebrate its 20th anniversary by joining a huge sponsored tree planting event on the Dundreggan Estate in Glen Moriston, to the west of Loch Ness, on Sunday November 1st 2009.

[UKPRwire, Wed Sep 23 2009] Award-winning conservation charity Trees for Life is calling on people help celebrate its 20th anniversary by joining a huge sponsored tree planting event on the Dundreggan Estate in Glen Moriston, to the west of Loch Ness, on Sunday November 1st 2009.

“We hope to plant thousands of aspen, birch and hazel trees during the day, while raising funds for our work to restore the Caledonian Forest. We are keen for as many people as possible to come along for a rewarding and enjoyable day of hands-on activity,” said Alan Watson Featherstone, Trees for Life Executive Director.

Sponsorship forms can be downloaded from www.treesforlife.org.uk or can be obtained by calling 0845 458 3505. Transport will be available from Findhorn and Inverness to Dundreggan and back. People are asked to bring a packed lunch, a flask with a hot drink and rain gear.

Only 1 per cent of the original Caledonian Forest in the Scottish Highlands survives. To date Trees for Life has planted over 800,000 trees in its drive to restore the forest.

The 10,000 acre Dundreggan Estate, purchased by Trees for Life in 2008, is one of the largest areas of land in the UK bought for forest restoration. The charity aims to re-connect the forest between Glen Moriston and Glen Affric by planting half a million native trees, and the sponsored planting event is one of the first steps towards that goal.

People can support Trees for Life through dedicated trees and groves for special occasions, or through practical conservation work on its Conservation Volunteer Weeks.

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Notes to editors
1. Trees for Life aims to restore the Caledonian Forest to an area of 1,500 square kilometres in the Scottish Highlands west of Inverness.
2. Since planting its first trees in 1991 in Glen Affric, Trees for Life has planted over 800,000 trees. Its awards include 1991 UK Conservation Project of the Year, the Millennium Marque in 2000 and Top 10 Conservation Holidays worldwide in 2009.