UBoC trustee Professor Piers Forster was recently honoured to become the namesake for Forster Wood, a newly planted woodland block of the Long Lands Common.
The Long Lands Community Benefit Society is working to establish Harrogate and Knaresborough’s first ever community-owned woodland project. As a local to the area and a world expert on the causes of climate change and the climate response of the Earth system, Piers was selected to be celebrated as the namesake for the recently planted area.
Reacting to the name’s announcement, Piers said: “I was blown away by it really. I bought a share or two in Long Lands Common at its start but haven’t been involved until now, so I was taken aback when the group said they wanted to name the area Forster Wood.
“I’ve spent my career collecting evidence on the benefits of climate action and nature recovery to compel nations to act. But it’s not governments or my efforts that deliver real change, its communities like Long Lands that are there making a difference.
“People think trees take time to grow, but in only a couple of years the site has transformed, and our town’s natural environment has already massively improved from their work.”
James McKay, the chair of Long Lands Common Limited explained the decision to name the woodland: “We wanted to name Forster Wood in recognition of Piers’ outstanding contributions to climate science, environmental education and leadership.”
Long Lands Common was set up to protect biodiversity and the environment, to create accessible green space for the community, and to educate people about how to live a sustainable zero carbon lifestyle, in harmony with the local ecosystem.
Now covering 90 acres with the addition of Knaresborough Forest Park, its transformation from farmland to nature reserve is well underway, thanks to help from regular volunteers and grants from the White Rose Forest, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
The group behind the project recently acquired a further 60 acres of land following a £900,000 fundraising campaign supported by the community. The share offer is still open for anyone who wants to support the project.
