Up to 130 new woodland sites, concentrating on indigenous broadleaf trees, are to be created in Northern Ireland, writes Dick Grogan in Belfast.
A £5 million sterling contribution to the Woodland Trust by the Millennium Commission to fund the project is part of a £10 million environmental programme in celebration of the millennium. The money will also be allocated to build and renovate village halls in rural areas, and to build a community centre in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim.
The "Woods on your Doorstep" project will involve local communities in developing all aspects of the woods, from choosing and designing the site to the planting and management.
The Woodland Trust's development director, Mr Philip Keeble, said the new woods would be within easy walking distance of communities living in cities, towns and villages.
He said the project "will help to redress the balance by planting native trees such as oak, birch, rowan and ash".