IN response to “What is this woodland fascination?” (HAS, Mar 20), the Woodland Trust does not wish to cover the whole of the open countryside with trees. The United Kingdom and England in particular, is one of the least wooded countries in Europe – England has just ten per cent woodland cover, compared to the European average of 44 per cent and by planting the right trees in the right places we can help address this.

Bird life is a good indicator of the health of an ecosystem and we have evidence that tree planting has a positive impact, having recorded an increase in bird species at our Heartwood Forest in Hertfordshire where we have been planting trees for just five years.

We also ensure that on any site we manage we have a mixture of habitats; at Low Burnhall near Durham we have wildflower meadows and Hedley Hall and Lottie’s Wood, also here in the North-East, incorporate substantial areas of open ground too.

Gary Haley, Woodland Trust Site Manager, Lincolnshire.