To mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee this year a unique planting initiative called The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) began in May 2021 which invites people from across the United Kingdom to ‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee’ to increase and protect the native tree cover. Richard Goslett, Maintenance Manager in the South East, tells us more about the QGC planting at Cinque Ports Training Area.
Pictured L to R is Major Rick Beven, Senior Training Safety Officer, Richard Goslett, Landmarc’s Rural Maintenance Manager and Simon Odey, Training Safety Marshall West, on the avenue of newly planted trees at Dibgate, East Kent Training Area.
“We were keen to be involved in the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative, which encourages the planting of trees to create a legacy in honour of Her Majesty the Queen’s leadership of the nation and to benefit future generations. Along with Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) colleagues, in particular Major Rick Beven, Senior Training Safety Officer at Hythe, we identified a suitable area at Cinque Ports Training Area.
“Training Area B at Dibgate, near Folkestone in Kent, had lost many of its amenity ash trees in recent years due to Ash Dieback infection, so being able to plant replacements will go some way to replacing these lost trees and fits in well with the focus of the QGC to plant sustainably.
“In total we planted approximately 70 trees along an existing track – a mix of native Sweet Chestnut and Oak, all in individual tree shelters which were made from Sweet Chestnut posts and rails for protection from grazing stock.
“The avenue is soon to be named 6th Queen Elizabeth’s Own Gurkha Rifles Avenue after the first Regiment in the British Army to be named after Her Majesty the Queen, thereby commemorating both Sovereign and Regiment.”