Carnfunnock: County Antrim woodland planted to help lock up carbon

"The benefits for both biodiversity and people are huge"

A new woodland has been planted in County Antrim in the hope it will capture thousands of tonnes of carbon every year.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council recently planted 12,000 trees at Carnfunnock Country Park.

Tree planting is seen as one way to help cool the climate by absorbing warming carbon out of the atmosphere.

The 13 hectare site near Larne is part of the UK Forestry Commission's woodland carbon code scheme.

The scheme provides reliable estimates on the amount of carbon which will be locked up.

Lindsey Houston hopes the newly-planted trees will develop into a woodland for people and wildlife

The council's parks development manager Lindsey Houston said it will eventually bring many benefits for the environment.

"It is going to be a long time before we have a carbon store as such here but as this woodland develops and becomes more mature, the carbon is stored not only in the trees but also in the soil and in the roots.

"But aside from that, the benefits for both biodiversity and people are huge.

"Carnfunnock is a very popular spot. Lots of people come to visit and the more space we can free up for people to use the better.

"Once these trees are established it will become a woodland for people and for wildlife."

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Northern Ireland is one of the least-wooded regions in Europe, with just under 9% tree cover, according to the Woodland Trust.

The conservation charity will send experts out in five years' time to check how mature the trees have become and how many have survived.

It will then work out estimates of how much carbon will be stored.

Joe Dowdall says the woodland will also provide a food source for animals

Joe Dowdall, a red squirrel ranger with the Ballygalley Biodiversity group, said the woodland will make a big difference.

"Although we talk about climate change and how it affects human beings, it also affects and sometimes in quite a devastating way how any wild animal will have young.

"If the weather goes bad, if we have a real wet spring, it could devastate populations.

"So it is important that the trees balance out and help with carbon catching but also that they provide a source of food for all sorts of animals and insects besides the red squirrel."