Guernsey Trees for Life and the Nature Commission are incredibly grateful for the public support following the launch of the Storm Goretti Tree Appeal earlier this year. The response from the community has been very encouraging and highlights how much people across Guernsey care about the Island’s trees and green spaces.

Over £20,000 has be raised so far, which just shows the incredible generosity of the Guernsey public, and how important trees and woodlands are to the community. But the hard work is not done yet!

Storm Goretti caused significant damage to trees across several areas, and we are currently working with partners to assess the public sites that were most severely affected. This work is helping us understand the scale of the loss and identify where replanting will have the greatest environmental and community benefit. Our priority is to ensure that any new planting is resilient, appropriate for each location, and contributes positively to Guernsey’s landscape and biodiversity.

We expect to share more details about the specific sites and planting plans once the assessments are complete. In the meantime, we would like to thank everyone who has supported the appeal so far and shown such strong commitment to helping restore the Island’s trees after the storm.

If you'd like to contribute to the fund, it's not too late!

·        Donate via the Nature Commission Giving.gg page giving.gg/donate/charity/2422 — include “Storm Goretti” as a reference.

·         Donate on the Nature Commission JustGiving page (www.justgiving.com/charity/naturecommission-gg) include “Storm Goretti” as a reference.

·         Contact office@naturecommission.gg for other support options.

You can keep an eye on how much has been raised here https://naturecommission.gg/storm-goretti-appeal/

Native trees are an integral part of our landscape, and they play many vital roles. Trees are important at providing oxygen, filtering pollutants and storing carbon from the atmosphere, providing a nature-based solution to helping fight climate change. In urban settings, trees help to reduce the air temperature and provide areas of shade. They also support lots of wildlife, with a single Oak tree providing shelter, food and other resources for 2,300 species of wildlife. The loss of trees during Storm Goretti would not only have impacted the trees themselves but all the species that use them. From the lichens and mosses that live on the surface, to the birds, bats and insects that use them for breeding habitat and food resources, and the fungi which live in association with them. Trees are long-lived and the trees planted with the money raised by the Storm Goretti Tree Appeal should hopefully (not withstanding any more big storms) support many species and provide many benefits for years to come.