The areas of woodland as a proportion of land mass in various countries are:
| Isle of Man | 8% |
| United Kingdom | 13% |
| Continental Europe | 44% |
As you can see, we could plant many more trees on the Island before we even come close to the situation in the UK.
The Biodiversity Convention, to which the Isle of Man is now a co-signatory, has several simple aspirations to improve habitats and contribute to combat climate change for future generations.
By planting trees we can assist these efforts, while at the same time improving the visual beauty of the island and increasing biodiversity.
New woodlands also create wildlife corridors and richly diverse habitats for birds, insects and small mammals. This helps to make a wide range of sustainable havens for species that are under threat from other forms of land use. Native trees provide food and protection for birds and insects. Insects are the main pollinators of many sorts of agricultural crops.
Numbers of insect species hosted by different trees:
| Oak | 500 |
| Downy Birch | 334 |
| Willow (all types) | 226 |
| Hawthorn | 209 |
| Scots Pine | 172 |
| Alder | 141 |
| Hazel | 106 |
| Beech | 94 |
| Ash | 68 |
| Sycamore | 15 |
Woodland plays a major part in absorbing rain and in slowing the rate at which surplus water drains off the land. This helps to avoid flash flooding which is becoming much more of a problem with the heavier rainfalls we are increasingly seeing.
The average family car puts out about 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide in a year. An acre of trees absorbs about the same amount in a year, neatly enough. So the more trees we plant, the more carbon dioxide is absorbed and stored.
