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29
Apr
'It means more than the Nobel Peace Prize' - professor 'blown away' by wood named after him
One of the foremost figures in Harrogate’s environmental community was honoured at the weekend when a new wood was named after him.
Piers Forster is professor of climate physics at the University of Leeds and since 2018 he’s also been interim chair of the government’s Climate Change Committee (CCC), representing the UK at the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference.
He’s also long been a supporter of Long Lands Common, Harrogate and Knaresborough’s first ever community-owned woodlands project.
Watched by around 50 people who came for a guided tour of Long Lands Common to mark Earth Day, Prof Forster ceremonially unveiled a carved wooden sign for Forster Wood, the project’s newest community woodland block.
About 50 people turned up for a guided tour of Long Lands Common and the unveiling of the Forster Wood sign.
Speaking afterwards to the Stray Ferret, he said he was "blown away" by the honour.
He said:
I’ve been lucky enough to work with great colleagues on climate research and climate policy. I love my work. I’ve even got a few awards before. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that I worked on in 2007 won the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Al Gore.
However, this one means the most – the trees that have been planted and Ian Fraser’s wonderful carved oak sign will outlast my contributions. 'Forster' is a shortened version of 'Forrester' and my mother and father planted thousands of trees before me. I’m hopeful we can keep the family tradition going.
Prof Piers Forster with 'his' new wood.
The decision to name the wood after Prof Forster was taken by Long Lands Common Community Benefit Society, the body of local people who have worked to bring greenbelt land between Harrogate and Knaresborough into community ownership.
Prof Forster added:
I’ve spent my career collecting evidence on the benefits of climate action and nature recovery to compel nations to act. But it’s not governments or my efforts that deliver real change, it's communities like Long Lands that are there making a difference.
People think trees take time to grow, but in only a couple of years the site has transformed, and our towns' natural environment has already massively improved from their work.
When the climate is changing faster than ever and governments and businesses are rethinking their climate targets, we need community woodland and community action more than ever.
To deliver resilient societies, we need to create the spaces for nature and people to flourish. I encourage everyone to visit and join in with efforts at Long Lands and Knaresborough Forest Park.
Long Lands Common borders the Nidderdale Greenway between Bilton and Starbeck in the west and extends eastwards towards Knaresborough.
It was established in 2021 on 30 acres of farmland that was previously threatened by the building of a major road through the greenbelt.
Now covering 90 acres with the addition of Knaresborough Forest Park, its transformation from farmland to nature reserve is well underway, thanks to help from regular volunteers and grants from the White Rose Forest, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and DEFRA.
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