As early Christmas presents go, staff at Forest of Bradford could not have had a better one.

News that the project - which brings great benefits to both the district and the planet - has secured a grant sufficiently large to enable them to plant 20,000 trees, has come as an unexpected seasonal boost.

The £8,000 award - made by our parent company's charitable trust on behalf of the Telegraph & Argus - will allow staff and volunteers at the project, which is part of Bradford Environmental Action Trust, to complete planting at various sites across the city and rural hinterland for the winter season.

"It is great news," says project manager Ian Butterfield. "It represents the bulk of our requirements for the whole of the planting season."

Trees are the lungs of the planet. In the face of global warming, the role that vegetation plays in our lives is taking on an even greater significance.

The quality of our environment - the air, soil and water - depends on trees.

Bradford is short on woodland cover. The district has an average of just 4.2 per cent, against the UK average of 12 per cent.

The shortfall is gradually being reduced, thanks to the success of a project which is approaching its tenth anniversary.

Forest of Bradford was set up to increase woodland cover throughout the district by working in partnership with local communities, schools, businesses and an army of willing volunteers.

It aims to create a sustainable wooded landscape in both the rural and urban areas of the district.

To date, 285,000 broad-leaved trees have been planted at more than 250 sites covering 125 hectares, but many more are needed. In order to increase woodland cover to something like the national average, a further 380 hectares needs planting, equivalent to 700,000 trees.

"Each year we plant around 30,000 native trees, equivalent to 15 hectares of new woodland," says project manager Ian Butterfield who, along with other members of staff and volunteers, is delighted to have received an £8,000 cash injection from the Gannett Foundation, the charitable arm of the Telegraph & Argus's parent company, Gannett. "We have achieved 26 per cent of the total - so we need to keep planting.

"Getting the grant is superb. It is the biggest single contribution to this winter's planting, which will take us up to the end of March. It will allow us to plant around 20,000 trees and shrubs to reach this year's target."

These will be made up of native trees, primarily oak, ash, cherry, birch and rowan, and will be planted at around 30 sites across the district.

"This means that by the end of the season, around 300,000 trees will have been planted," he adds.

The grant - one of many awarded to projects across the country in the Gannett Foundation's twice-yearly award scheme - will also pay for protective guards and protective fencing to keep out grazing animals.

Forest of Bradford was selected as one of a number of projects nationwide which take a creative approach to issues that play a vital role in our daily lives, including environmental conservation, education and neighbourhood improvements, youth development and cultural enrichment. All projects are registered charities.

Perry Austin-Clarke, editor of the Telegraph & Argus, said: "Forest of Bradford is a brilliant scheme and we're absolutely thrilled that it has won this level of support from our charitable trust.

"Newspapers are often criticised for chopping down trees to make paper but the fact is that the newspaper industry and its suppliers plant far more trees than they use.

"We're also good at recycling, with recycled paper making up more than 80 per cent of the raw material used in UK newspapers in 2006.

"In the T&A's case, all of the paper used in its printing contains recycled content.

"Obviously, Forest of Bradford is about a different kind of tree but our support for it helps to demonstrate our concern for the environment and our passionate desire to make Bradford an even more Brilliant place in which to live."

Practical work on planting schemes takes place every Saturday between now and the end of March, and most Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Some sites are in urban areas, including public open spaces and private land, school grounds, farmland, and streets. Recently, many trees have been planted on higher, more exposed land, which is extremely short on tree cover.

"At the moment we are planting a lot of trees on Pennine edge areas, from Queensbury to Keighley, where trees are in short supply," says Ian.

For some volunteers, helping to plant the trees will contribute towards NVQ level 1 and 2 qualifications in environmental conservation.

Other practical volunteer days include work with special needs groups, the long-term unemployed, youth groups, schools and colleges and other established groups and local businesses.

Local communities benefit enormously from the planting schemes, promoting greater social cohesion and feelings of local pride, as well as helping to create a positive image for the district.

"Trees are important for many different reasons," says Ian, who is one of only two full-time staff members working on the project. "Many areas are prone to flooding and trees play a vital role by intercepting rain, increasing the soil's capacity to absorb water and slowing down the rate of run-off. Roots help hold soil in place to prevent erosion."

Adds Ian: "Trees are important for the economy, as wildlife habitat, and for the atmosphere. Trees pull particulate pollutants out of the atmosphere - they play a big part in keeping air clean, which has a knock-on effect upon health."

Forest of Bradford also plants hedgerows. "We have planted almost five miles of new native hedgerows, with hawthorn, blackthorn, holly and field maple," says Ian.

Many of the trees are grown by Forest of Bradford, from locally-collected seed, while others are bought from a local nursery. The benefit of growing their own plants from seed is that seed can be collected from local native trees and shrubs found in parks and woodland and even people's gardens, which, if growing in a similar soil and aspect to the planting site, should adapt well.

Earlier this year the Forest of Bradford produced a non-profit scheme to give people the chance to offset their carbon emissions by planting an equivalent number of trees.

For every ton, or 1,000kg of carbon dioxide produced as a result of domestic or business energy, or the burning of fossil fuels for travel, Forest of Bradford will plant five native broad-leaved trees at a cost of £5 a tree or £25 per ton of CO2 produced.

Trees can also be bought as Christmas presents. Says Ian: "For £5 we buy and plant a tree and send a map to whoever bought it showing where it is. People can come and help us plant it if they want to, or we will plant the tree on their behalf."

When the project is complete, it is hoped that work to manage district's woodland will continue.

  • For further information on Forest of Bradford and how to become a volunteer contact Ian Butterfield on (01274) 718420, or look at www.beat.org.uk and click on the link to Forest of Bradford.

The Gannett Foundation provides funding to support local organisations - which must be registered charities - in areas of the UK where Newsquest, the UK subsidiary of Gannett which publishes the T&A, operates. Grants are awarded twice a year, in autumn and spring. Details are published in the Telegraph & Argus. For more information look at www.gannettfoundation.org and click on the link to Newsquest/United Kingdom.