The UK army is taking on another big beast, and making it look easy i.e. Climate Change. The military branch is set to plant around two million trees across the UK.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) conducted an exhaustive assessment across the UK military estate, identifying 25 areas eligible for forest construction totaling 750 hectares – the equivalent of 1022 football pitches.

Our men and women in uniform come equipped with solar farms, green vehicles, and the right attitude.

To supervise the new woodland creation, two additional foresters have been brought on board. The lockdowns haven’t made things easy for anyone and plans to plant trees saw some delays too. Despite this, the crew has managed to add 30,000 plants to the world, creating 10 hectares of new forest in the process.

The green patch is located near the Beckingham Training Area in Lincolnshire. Another 250,000 trees have also been added to replace trees lost to harvests.

As things stand, the Army is one of the country’s largest landowners. They are leading by example and feel it is critical to set an example by making its garrisons self-sufficient in terms of energy.

The future is bright because we’re moving in the direction of completely self-sustaining facilities, like that for soldiers training on Salisbury Plain. The Defence Animal Training Regiment (DATR), which trains military working canines and their handlers, is now constructing a 96 percent self-sustaining facility.

The MOD is establishing the first batch of EV charging stations at more than 35 defence sites, as well as receiving the first batch of electric cars under the White Fleet contract. It also backs the government’s objective to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.

Alongside any humanitarian disaster has been the actual cost of environmental degradation. It leads to a serious impact on the quality of life for all those involved. The British Army understands this and is working its way to help tackle this enemy too.

The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration begins this year with the theme “Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.”

Let’s all do our part in supporting our soldiers as they take on this huge challenge, like the many others they have shouldered.