Tree planting at the National Forest

University is all about growth and new opportunities.

To celebrate the arrival of our new students next month, we are introducing a project to plant 1,000 trees a few miles from campus, right in the heart of the country.

Working in partnership with the National Forest, we will plant 1,000 new trees later this year and give all our students the opportunity to be part of the experience.

The trees will be planted on the site of the National Forest, a 200 square mile environmental project in central England, which stretches from the outskirts of Leicester to Burton-Upon-Trent, in East Staffordshire. 

And this will be just the first phase of the project, with opportunities planned to invite students to the National Forest, to get involved in environmental volunteering opportunities through #DMUlocal, to build original sustainability research and to be involved in growing the trees that do so much to sustain our planet.

Ashton Matthews, Drama Studies graduate, said her time at DMU had changed her as a person.

She said: “University is about growth. Over the last few years I’ve been studying at DMU I think it’s really unbelievable how much I’ve changed. This project really symbolises that growth.

“I also think it’s a really good way of getting a new generation to really engage with their environment and think about their sustainability.”

In one year, a single tree can produce enough oxygen for four people and absorb about 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air we breathe.

So imagine what 1,000 new trees could do.

This is a time of change, renewal and growth. We hope you’ll join us on this journey to a greener and more sustainable future. 

Top tree stats

• One large tree can release 100 gallons of water into the air through tiny holes in its leaves...
• …it can also produce a day’s worth of oxygen for four adults
• In one year, an acre of mature forest absorbs the same amount of carbon dioxide produced by a car doing 26,000 miles
• Urban trees help combat harmful air pollution by absorbing the excess CO2. More than three million people die worldwide each year from illnesses linked to air pollution
• Being near trees helps your concentration by reducing mental fatigue. That’s because trees release chemicals known as phytoncides that have been shown to reduce blood pressure, lower anxiety and even increase our pain threshold