St Albans youth volunteers help plant new forest

Volunteers from a local youth group have helped to create a new forest near St Albans.

Over 150 volunteers from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) turned up to plant new trees in Heartwood Forest, Sandridge.

The volunteers, aged between 18 and 30, joined others from across Hertfordshire to plant 5,500 trees.

The group teamed up with the Woodland Trust as part of a national campaign to plant over 50,000 trees this year.

The Woodland Trust is hoping to create the largest new native woodland in England, by planting 600,000 trees on the 858 acre site, all planted by volunteers.

John Brown, regional development officer for the Woodland Trust said: “We have so little woodland in England that the creation of Heartwood Forest will make a real difference in the long term, particularly for wildlife in the area.”

AMYA youth leader Yousaf Aftab said: ‘’Our volunteers have been working so hard to plant as many trees as possible. We are committed to doing our bit to improve the environment and beautify the local communities we live in. It is a cause close to our hearts because Islam places enormous emphasis on taking care of the environment and particularly on the planting of trees.”