Culm Davy has a new look thanks to a tree planting event organised by digital company Cosmic in partnership with the Forestry Commission.
Teams from Cosmic, Pluss and Torbay Community Development Trust planted around 250 native trees, including silver birch, downy birch and rowan in the area, which has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Importance (SSSi), after removing as much hemlock as possible.
The event was held as part of the teams’ work on the Positive People project, to offset their carbon footprint by making a positive impact on the environment.
Positive People, which running across Devon and Somerset, is funded by the National Lottery, through the Big Lottery Fund, and the European Social Fund. Participants can access support, training and advice, as well as participating in new activities.
Technical Support Ben Fayter from Cosmic says: “It was great to see so many people coming together and getting involved to help the environment. We travel a lot with our roles, going out to meet people all across Devon. While this has many benefits, and means we get to reach and meet amazing people in all different areas, it also causes us to use a lot of fuel.
Thanks to the help and support from the Forestry Commission at Culm Davy, we were able to give something back to nature, whilst spending quality time with people on the project”.
Community Ranger Rob Greenhalgh from the Forestry Commission says: “
This is a very special site, and this work to restore native tree species has been identified as important by Natural England. It is a key part of our forest management plan and the Forestry Commission’s ambition to improve our native woodland habitats, whilst creating diverse and sustainably managed woodland. We are really grateful for the work of Cosmic, the participants and Positive People for helping us to breathe new life in to the site.”
During the three-year Positive People project, the Cosmic team have estimated they will travel about 113,000 miles. They would need to plant 567 trees in order to counter the carbon footprint left behind by these miles, and, with the help of the Forestry Commission, they are planning to hold more tree planting events throughout the project to reach this target.