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lan Kennedy, director of communications at the Woodland Trust, may not quite be able to identify all species from their leaves but he concedes that his knowledge of trees has risen dramatically since he joined the charity in March.

Indeed, he is almost overflowing with facts. Take this one: if an ancient woodland dates back to at least 1600, then it is highly likely that it has existed since the Ice Age because organised planting only began in the 17th century.

‘Ancient woodland is the UK's equivalent of the rainforest in the sense that a unique set of soil conditions allowed these plants to develop,' explains Kennedy. ‘We could never recreate these woodlands from scratch.'

The Woodland Trust is constantly campaigning against threats to ancient woodland and ancient trees, which it views as Britain's most valuable natural habitat. They have unique fauna and lichen that support species unable to move easily. It has invited the public to join in the Ancient Tree Hunt, to identify examples that may not be known. ‘We invite people to hug a tree and measure its girth,' says Kennedy. ‘Did you know that the UK has the least woodland area in Europe? About 12 per cent of the UK is covered by woodland, against a European average of 40 per cent. We are less forested than The Netherlands.'

Campaigning

Much of the woodland clearance occurred in the 1930s, when about half of all ancient woodland was felled, often for commercial development. ‘That was when farmers started planting conifers,' explains Kennedy. Conifers, it seems, are the bad guys. They are not native to the UK, and once planted let in very little light into a forest, which can be harmful to the wildlife. A wood with conifers, for example, will never have bluebells.

The Woodland Trust is currently fighting against a planning application by BAA to build a second runway at Stansted Airport. ‘It would run through irreplaceable ancient woodland,' says Kennedy. ‘We are highlighting the issue, bringing it to the attention of the public. People have dressed as trees and demonstrated against the proposal.'

Kennedy joined the Woodland Trust in March from financial company Capital One because he wanted ‘the opportunity to work for an organisation where I can make a positive difference'.

One of his first projects has been fundraising for the creation of the largest new forest in the UK, containing only indigenous species, such as oak, ash and birch. ‘It is based in Hertfordshire, and is twice the size of Regent's Park,' explains Kennedy. ‘The trees will be planted for the benefit of the wildlife, and there will be free access to the forest.'

The trust exchanged contracts on the 850 acre site at the end of September, but has to raise £8.5m to complete the transaction. Funds are being raised through donations from members of the public, pledges from rich individuals for the project and a partnership with BT, which encourages customers to sign up for paperless bills.

‘PR is an important tool for us,' says Kennedy. ‘We are a medium sized charity and we are reliant on PR as a promotional tool. The danger is that you seek coverage about anything in the newspapers, but we are much more interested in getting the content right for our message. If the focus of the press coverage is right, it can shake the complacency of the reader about the issue.

‘A key message about ancient woodland, for example, is that 50 per cent has already been destroyed. When people hear that, it makes them sit up and take notice. Similarly, in promoting our new wood we need to focus on the tangible differences it will make to our environment.'

Large woodland areas, apparently, are better than small fragments in helping species adapt in the face of climate change. ‘A lot of people think it takes 30 to 40 years for a tree to grow, but a 12 year old tree would be way taller than I am,' says Kennedy. ‘And I am a fairly typical 5ft 11”.'

Tree planting is an important part of raising awareness of the trust's work. It has a scheme, called Tree For All, which hopes to engage one million school children in planting 12m trees over the next five years. More than four million trees have been planted to date.

‘It is very popular. One eight year old told me It made me feel part of the world,' says Kennedy. ‘It is an experience they'll remember throughout their life, and might make them more interested in the environment than they otherwise would have been.'

He adds: ‘We have a very active schools programme, which offers education resources linked to the curriculum that teachers can download from the computer.'

The trust is keen to get more people involved in tree planting. It holds events every month where supporters can take part in such schemes. The only requirement is warm clothing and suitable footwear. ‘Tree planting is a really good way for us to engage with supporters,' explains Kennedy. ‘There is increasing concern about the environment, and people can recognise that planting trees is good for our future. They also help mitigate the effect of climate change.'

Targetted campaigning

But Kennedy is also concerned with fundraising, and a key area for the Woodland Trust is through corporate partnerships. Woodland Eggs, which are sold through Sainsbury's, are from hens that roam in natural woodland environment. More than 300,000 trees have been planted on farms across the UK since the scheme launched four years ago, and Woodland Trust receives a donation of one penny from selected packs. ‘Schemes like this are also good at raising support from members of the public,' says Kennedy. Similarly, a partnership with IKEA means that every time an IKEA Family Card is swiped, the furniture store will donate 10p to the Trust - enough to create one square foot of forest.

‘There is increasing concern about the environment,' says Kennedy. ‘We need to strike the right balance in the public's mind. There is tremendous amount of goodwill towards woods and trees, but we have to promote their role in combating climate change.

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