Train company offers woodland conservation grant (From York Press)

Train company offers woodland conservation grant

8:09am Saturday 6th October 2012 in News By Press reporter

A local train company is teaming up with the Forestry Commission to donate nearly £30,000 to tree and woodland conservation projects, including in Yorkshire.

First Transpennine Express (FTPE) has been helping to improve the environment and encourage wildlife in the North of England and into Scotland since 2007.

Open to community groups, charities, schools and individuals who allow open access to their land, applicants can apply for up to £2,000 for environmental projects.

Applications are measured on their involvement with and impact on the local community, and overall positive environmental impact and proximity to First Transpennine stations.

Butterfly Conservation secured such funding to support the conservation of the rare Dark Bordered Beauty moth at Strensall Common. The moth is in decline in the UK. The charity is using the money to recruit volunteers to assist in surveying the moth numbers on Strensall Common, before planting cuttings of weeping willow on which the moth feeds.

Dave Wainright, butterfly conservation senior regional officer, said: “Preliminary results from the survey have started to show numbers have gone down since we last surveyed the area five years ago. Had we not applied for and received the green grants funding, we would not have known this and we could have lost the moth specifies on Strensall Common altogether.”

He said the rest of the funding would be used to encourage the growth of creeping willow to provide more areas of stable habitat which would help increase the moth’s population across Strensall Common.”

For application details visit tpexpress.co.uk