Trees Are for Life Not Just for Christmas – Lasting Gifts That Don’t Cost the Earth

Findhorn Bay, United Kingdom, December 03, 2008 --(PR.com)-- This Christmas, people can support the forest restoration work of award-winning conservation charity Trees for Life and help tackle climate change by having a specially-dedicated tree or Christmas Grove planted for family and friends in Scotland’s beautiful Caledonian Forest.

The Caledonian Forest Christmas Appeal, being launched on Monday 1 December, will boost Trees for Life’s ambitious drive to plant 250,000 new native trees during 2008 and 2009. The target is the charity’s pledge to the United Nations’ Billion Trees Campaign – a global push to address climate change by encouraging people and businesses to plant seven billion trees worldwide.

“A real tree or grove is a positive gift that will last for more than a lifetime. Every tree dedicated will help create a fantastic habitat for wildlife and will help tackle climate change by replacing the carbon footprint and packaging of many presents with a gift that instead soaks up carbon dioxide,” said Alan Watson Featherstone, Trees for Life’s Executive Director.

Single trees with an A4 frameable personalised certificate cost just £15. Alternatively the charity’s new Tree Gift Cards (£10), which allow people to buy a tree without personalised certificates, make great convenient, last-minute gifts.

Christmas Groves of eight trees cost £50, including a certificate and a personalised Grove Web Page on the Trees for Life website at www.treesforlife.org.uk/groves. Additional trees can be added for £5 each. Certificates for all orders received before 10 December will arrive before Christmas.

Trees for Life also offers a range of sustainably-sourced products including Christmas Tree Dedication Certificates (£15), winter greetings cards (£4.95), £2009 Engagement Diary (£12.95, selected as one of the Independent’s ‘Ten Best Diaries of 2008) and 2009 Calendar (£9.95) featuring stunning photographs from around the world.

The Caledonian Forest once covered much of the Scottish Highlands, with native pinewoods in a wild landscape of mountains, lochs and rivers. Today only one per cent of the original forest survives.

Trees for Life also provides tree dedications and Groves to celebrate births, weddings and special occasions, as well as memorials to loved ones.

People wanting to make a positive, personal difference to the environment while enjoying an inspiring visit to the wild Highlands can also join Conservation Volunteer Weeks. These suit all abilities and anyone over 18 years old can take part.

For more information or to support Trees for Life call 0845 458 3506, email trees@findhorn.org or visit www.treesforlife.org.uk.

Notes to editors

Trees for Life aims to restore the Caledonian Forest to an area of 1,500 square kilometres in the Scottish Highlands west of Inverness. For further details please see www.treesforlife.org.uk

Since planting its first trees in 1991 in Glen Affric, Trees for Life has planted over 650,000 trees. Its awards include 1991 UK Conservation Project of the Year and the Millennium Marque in 2000.

On World Environment Day 2008 (5 June), Trees for Life pledged to plant 250,000 trees by the end of 2009 as part of the UN Environment Programme’s Billion Tree Campaign. The charity exceeded its 2007 pledge of 100,000 trees by over 9,000 trees.

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