Cumbria’s young farmers have planted 420 trees along the Irt to help improve the local environment and mitigate climate change.
The Cumbria Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs teamed up with West Cumbria Rivers Trust and the National Trust to organise the tree-planting day at a site between Santon Bridge and Nether Wasdale.
Planting trees along river banks has multiple environmental benefits, including reduced soil erosion as tree roots stabilise the bank, improved water quality due to less soil and farm run-off entering the watercourse, and improved river habitats as shade from the trees regulates the water temperature and provide habitat for fish to shelter in.
For the young farmers, the day was part of the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs’ commitment to planting a tree for every one of their members.
Fencing to keep livestock away from the riverbank was paid for by the Environment Agency’s Fisheries Improvement Programme and erected by the National Trust, whose land the trees were planted on. The National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs is working with the Woodland Trust, who donated the trees.
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