North Wales MS Mark Isherwood visited a Flintshire farm on Friday to plant a tree in support of NFU Cymru’s ‘Growing Together Campaign’ to sustainably increase tree cover in Wales.
Mr Isherwood joined NFU Cymru, Coed Cadw and their hosts Mr Terrig Morgan and family at Carreg Y Llech Farm, Treuddyn, to plant a #GrowingTogether tree, kindly supplied by Coed Cadw – The Woodland Trust in Wales.
Against the background of ambitious targets to increase tree cover in Wales to help mitigate and adapt to the challenges presented by climate change, the #GrowingTogether initiative promotes a philosophy to future tree planting in Wales that advocates more trees integrated into farming systems – rather than replacing farming systems, allowing food production, farming, trees, nature, landscapes and rural communities to thrive.
Mr Isherwood said:
“I was delighted to support this very important NFU campaign by planting a tree at Carreg Y Llech Farm. It is crucial that we plant more trees to protect our environment for future generations, but in doing so we must ensure that the right trees are planted in the right places.
“I thank NFU Cymru for inviting me to take part in this initiative and also Terrig and family for their warm welcome.”
NFU Cymru President John Davies, who launched the campaign on his farm said:
“We are delighted that Members of the Senedd are joining us to plant trees on farms across Wales. Engaging with politicians is a vital component of spreading awareness of our #GrowingTogether campaign and sharing our ambitions with all those who have an interest in delivering the outcomes we all want to see.
“At NFU Cymru we firmly believe agriculture is uniquely placed to be part of the solution to climate change and that climate goals should be met in ways that are sustainable and fair. Tree planting targets should not be achieved through a binary choice of farming or forestry, instead Wales’ ambitious targets should be progressed in a way that safeguards the multiple economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits that Welsh farming provides.”