A tree-planting initiative in Cornwall has secured £8.7m in additional government funding after passing the milestone of two million trees planted since 2019. The Forest for Cornwall scheme, run with support from Cornwall Council, aims to combat climate change by expanding woodland across communities, farms, schools and streets, and the new funding will help the authority work towards its target of 8,000 hectares of new tree canopy by 2035.

The grant comes from Defra's Trees Programme and follows a period in which Storm Goretti destroyed hundreds of trees in January, including mature specimens at St Michael's Mount and Trewithen. Council officials say the scheme boosts biodiversity, reduces flooding and run-off, and helps farmers build resilience, citing Ben Thomas of Treveddoe Farm near Cardinham, who has planted 2,500 trees as part of a new agroforestry network. The project also supports England's wider goal of achieving 16.5% canopy and woodland cover by 2050.