CHILDREN from three West Devon schools will be getting their hands dirty this month digging up school playing fields ? much to the delight of their teachers. It is part of Tree for All, a tree planting campaign organised by woodland conservation charity the Woodland Trust, which is supplying 30 native trees to 2,415 schools throughout the UK. Among the 53 in Devon taking part are Milton Abbot School, Devon County Council Extended Schools in Tavistock and South Tawton Primary School. By planting trees, the trust hopes that children will develop an interest in nature and grow up with a view to protecting it. That?s the aim of Tree for All ? the UK?s largest ever children?s tree planting campaign. Launched in 2004, the five-year campaign will see one million children plant 12 million trees ? one for every child under the age of 16. The planting of hedges and copses will attract wildlife and give schools ?living classrooms? which pupils can enjoy for years to come. It can also contribute to Key Stage 2 in science, numeracy, literacy and art and design. The Woodland Trust says the campaign will begin to make up for the years of hedgerow and woodland destruction. Since the 1930s, 50 % of the UK?s ancient woods have been felled and 190,000km of hedgerow destroyed.
