It’s astonishing how often we hear the phrase “you’re never more than six feet from a rat”, given that this turns out to be something of an urban myth. Some years back, the Food and Environment Research Agency, as it was then, estimated that the true distance is a far less scary 164ft. But if you take a moment, right now, to look outside, you’ll realise that the original quote is actually very relevant to trees – it’s highly likely that your nearest one will be far closer than your average neighbourhood rat.
Whether trees are solitary specimens standing proudly in our gardens, or are gathered in leafy swathes of woodland, or seen stretching serenely along city streets and country lanes, the estimated 3bn trees in the UK provide the most wonderful and omnipresent backdrop to our lives. But their scenic impact is just the start of the story. Trees keep us cool in summer and warm in winter, their roots keep our soils and riverbanks intact, they filter the air, recycle our water, lock up carbon and provide bed and breakfast for the nation’s fauna. But given that they’re so integral to our existence, why are they being so woefully neglected?
