Prisoners nurture trees in UK prisons, planting 30,000 at a Plymouth Defence site with support from multiple organizations.
Prisoners grew the trees across four UK prisons while participating in rehabilitation programs. The prisons sold the trees to the MOD at cost, saving taxpayer money and giving prisoners skills and qualifications through this program.
The Defence Munitions site supports Royal Navy ships, giving them the ammunition they need.
The trees include native broadleaves, conifers, Western Red Cedar and Coastal Redwood. Prisoners nurtured the trees at four prisons, watering, weeding, and feeding the young trees.
The DE&S wants to address climate change concerns by buying saplings from the Ministry of Justice. This supports the program and helps participants, benefiting sustainability and social value while protecting the nation and helping it prosper.
This collaboration provides prisoners with new skills improving their employability after release. This benefits their reintegration into society and helps reduce reoffending rates. Caring for trees also supports their mental health, allowing them spend time in nature and invest in it.
The Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest supports this project by giving a grant for the tree planting to DE&S. The grant also covers 10 years of maintenance, using money from a government fund.
The DIO Forestry Team designed the woodland creation. Vivo will continue the planting, installing mulch mats in the spring, followed by mowing, weeding, and maintenance.
DE&S wants to plant more than 600,000 trees across the wider MOD estate. The trees will protect sites from climate change and helps solve environmental problems.