The OU has had its first tree planting day to celebrate its research students and to demonstrate its commitment to climate action.
The tree planting day is part of an initiative in which the Open University Graduate School plants a tree for each research student who graduates.
The trees are planted in either the Forest of Marston Vale or in Malawi, through the OU's partnership with Neno Macadamia Trust.
The tree planting project, thought to be the first of its kind at a university in the UK, works closely with these two organisations, who represent the importance of both local and international partnerships to the University.
David Gowing, Professor of Botany in the OU’s Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, who is leading on the science that informs the project says:“The scheme goes further than simply planting the trees by monitoring above-ground growth and changes in the soil, so together we can give a full picture of how the trees are performing at sequestering carbon from the atmosphere.
“We plan to sustain the monitoring over many years to give a timeline of carbon drawdown that will inform debates around how best to mitigate climate change"
