Environment correspondent by Helen.
Some trees are better than others and that is one of the reasons for planting more trees. Scientists have designed an experimental forest in England to work out the best formula for achieving ambitious tree planting targets.
They've lived for so long, just think what they've seen, says Nick Baimbridge. A deer runs through the undergrowth as birds sing from the branches.
The medieval forest has the greatest collection of ancient oak trees anywhere in Europe. Baimbridge, the head forester of the Blenheim Estate, said that Blenheim Palace is 300 years old.
He can only speculate on the turns of history witnessed by this old girl, whose genetic heritage is set to live on through acorns collected from the forest floor.
The ambition of an experimental "super forest" that is being planted where the rivers Dorn and Glyme wind their way through the Oxfordshire countryside is dependent on the acorns and the new generation of oaks that they give birth to.
The first trees were planted in the forest this winter.
The Blenheim Estate has received a government grant of over one million dollars to plant 270,000 trees in the nine new woodlands.
When the oaks produced a bumper crop of acorns, foresters picked them off the forest floor and took them to a tree nursery on the estate, where they were planted into pots and left to grow.
The trees take several years to grow large enough to be planted in the forest, but experts think it is worth the wait.
Britain remains one of the least wooded parts of Europe, and while new trees are being planted, native oak trees will be needed in the race to reforest the UK. The government wants to create 30,000 hectares of new woodland in the UK by 2025.
It is not enough to randomly plant millions of trees; forests must be built to last with a combination of species that will provide habitat for wildlife as well as absorbing carbon emissions.
Despite the fervour for planting trees, scientists warn that it is not a silver bullet for tackling climate change. The rush to plant trees can harm the environment and block land needed for other purposes. Natural woodlands that contain a mixture of native species are better for wildlife than plantations made up of one type of tree.
The super forest comes in to play there. The ethos behind it is to develop a formula for planting woodlands that can soak up carbon emissions, provide space for nature and people, and yield timber that will help trees pay their way.
They came up with a recipe for planting 27 different types of tree, including conifers for absorbing carbon, a mixture of broad-leafed and native trees for biodiversity, as well as trees that will supply valuable wood.
The oaks will be planted on main paths and at entrances in clumps.
The woodlands will be monitored to assess their effectiveness at removing carbon emissions, enhancing biodiversity, and cleaning up air and water.
The first phase of planting is expected to be finished this month.
You might want trees everywhere for absorbing carbon, but that comes at the expense of other functions of the land.
The University of Oxford has a professor who has oversight of the new woodlands. She says the team has considered all aspects of natural capital, which is the Earth's natural assets, from reducing flood risk to providing a habitat for birds and bees. She says trees can do fantastic things for the environment.
The government is not the only one funding these woods. The Morgan Sindall Group is a partner in the project. Many businesses are trying to be more green by offsetting their carbon emissions through tree planting schemes, despite the fact that a construction company might seem like an odd bedfellow.
The company wanted to do the right thing by creating woodlands in the UK that were open to everyone.
How are the new trees growing? A valley carved out by the River Dorn is the first woodland to take shape. Nathan Fall of Nicholsons leads us on a tour of a once arable land.
He says that England has been behind on tree planting because of pressures on land. He hopes that the model used in these woodlands will be a template for future tree-planting efforts.
It is hard to imagine what this place will look like in a century. Fall, as a forester, is always planning for the next generation. The site of a forest school is set to become a natural amphitheater that is protected from the wind. When the new Blenheim oaks grow to full size, they will be here for the children to admire.
Photographs by Phil Coomes.
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