HUNDREDS of trees will be planted across Dorset this autumn to mark the centenary of the county branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

The campaign will include planting endangered species.

The group say that planting more trees is essential to help offset climate change, restore wetlands, and replace trees in Dorset afflicted by disease, such as Ash Dieback.

The main planting sites will be at Kingston Maurward (DT2 8PX), east of Dorchester, now part of Coastland College, with space for 250 saplings.

Two sites will be on easily accessible sites on open downland close to the Thomas Hardy Trail, where a variety of native deciduous trees will be planted, including disease-resistant Elms.

Another site will be on a water meadow adjacent to the Thomas Hardy Trail and a short stroll from Stinsford church, where Thomas Hardy's heart is buried. The plan is to plant Black Poplars there, Britain's rarest native timber tree, previously commonly used for cartwheels and floorboards, and an icon of the British treescape.

The young trees will come from the nursery of local charity Trees for Dorset, one of the groups trying to restore the local tree population. Kingston Maurward will kindly provide the necessary aftercare.

CPRE Trustee Rupert Hardy, Dorset lead on the Centenary Tree Planting project, said, "We hope that CPRE members and others will back our centenary appeal by sponsoring a tree. We aim to raise at least £7,000, enough to plant at least 250 saplings at a cost of just £25 per tree. There's a map of the sites on our website, and permanent memorial plaques will be placed at each site in recognition of donations. We hope people will be generous and adopt more than one tree."

"John Constable's famous painting The Hay Wain features the Black Poplar. Now there are only 7,000 left in Britain, mostly male, so the population is shrinking. Many different species rely on poplar to live, breed and thrive. As it's a tree that favours damp conditions, poplars can help clean up our river systems and combat climate change, as part of wetland restoration schemes. Sponsoring one of these trees is a fantastic way to mark CPRE's centenary here in Dorset."

To sponsor a tree, visit https://justgiving.com/campaign/dcpre-centenary-tree-appeal or find out more on https://dorset-cpre.org.uk/news/centenary-tree-planting-appeal/.