Forest name

SIR, - I read with interest your correspondent, Roger Miles (Herts Advertiser, November 13) and unfortunately it is true that any name chosen for a project will not meet with the immediate consensus of all but I would refute that Heartwood Forest is a synthetic name.

Over 200 possible names for the site were advanced, including a number garnered from the Sandridge area. Some names were indeed synthetic and were thus rejected but Heartwood has real synergy with both the location and the national significance of the new forest.

n One of the chief ancient woodland indicators found in the existing ancient woodland of Langley and Puddlers Woods part of the new forest is the presence of the small-leafed lime tree, identified by its emblematic heart-shaped leaf.

n Heart combines "Hert", short for Herts, and "Hart", an old English word for a deer stag - the symbol of Herts.

n Heartwood is a central hardwood core found in broadleafed trees. It is this hollowing heartwood which supports hundreds of rare and threatened species of wildlife and helps the tree to survive recycling nutrients as it decays.

n The heart is a life-giving organ and trees are the life force of this planet. This new forest will be a much-needed lifeline for the UK's diminished native woodland. It will also be a great outdoor space in which people can experience all the benefits of exercise and getting closer to nature.

n We hope the new forest will be a green heart at the centre of our woodland creation work - a thriving new habitat for wildlife and a destination for everyone to enjoy.

Although we have now acquired the land on which to create Heartwood Forest, we still need funds to plant it. To donate telephone 0845 293 5858 or visit: www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/heart

SUE HOLDEN,

Chief Executive, The Woodland Trust.