PLANTING has begun on the £1.8m new Forest for Burnley.

More than 400 pupils from 12 primary and high schools in Burnley and Padiham are taking part in the first stage of the project when, with help from town's rangers, they will be planting 254 specimen trees in arboretums all over the town.

An arboretum is a collection of unusual or special trees which have been selected for their interest and suitability for sites throughout the borough, including Bank Hall, Queen's Park, Jessie's Park off Piccadilly Road and Barden High School.

Besides the planting, Forest of Burnley officers are also giving presentations to schools on the importance of trees and woodlands.

Currently only three per cent of Burnley is covered by woodland, which is well below the national and European averages of 10 per cent and 22 per cent respectively.

The Forest of Burnley is a five-year scheme which will help to double Burnley's tree and woodland cover, and is financed by Millennium Commission grant.

The schools will be planting trees up to Christmas and the primary schools will also be taking part in a project at the Natural History Centre, Towneley Park, to link the scheme with the national curriculum.

Burnley MP Peter Pike praised the scheme during Question Time in the Commons.

He told Culture Secretary Chris Smith: "The Forest of Burnley scheme has overwhelming support in my constituency but it could not have gone ahead without Millennium Funding."

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