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https://github.com/bbc-data-unit/tree-planting

Climate change: Tree planting rise 'needs to happen quickly'
https://github.com/bbc-data-unit/tree-planting

automation environment robotjournalsm trees workbench

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Climate change: Tree planting rise 'needs to happen quickly'

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# Climate change: Tree planting rise 'needs to happen quickly'



![](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/3AB7/production/_108113051_treeplanting1-nc.png)



In July 2019 we [reported](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-47541491) on the challenge facing the UK to meet official recommendations to plant 30,000 hectares of trees every year as part of a target of eliminating carbon emissions by 2050.



We used data from the Forestry Commission and Forest Research on annual tree planting rates in the UK and the total amount of government funded trees planted in England between 2010 and 2018.



The story also involved the use of automation to generate dozens of shorter summaries of the story for different parts of the country. Some of these were used in BBC Local Live pages, and some were supplied to broadcast journalists to give an overview of the picture in their region. 



The [liveblog for Devon and Cornwall](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-devon-49083027), for example, includes an [update about Torridge](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-devon-49083027?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=5d4023a672af49066398061b%2643%2C800%20government-funded%20trees%20planted%20in%20Torridge%20in%20eight%20years%20%262019-07-30T15%3A50%3A52.716Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:87aa3ecd-6caa-44a0-9315-fc9e5c962986&pinned_post_asset_id=5d4023a672af49066398061b&pinned_post_type=share), one on [West Devon](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-devon-49083027?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=5d4023a951ae87065597c850%2660%2C600%20government-funded%20trees%20planted%20in%20West%20Devon%20in%20eight%20years%20%262019-07-30T14%3A47%3A44.446Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:adc3b7ff-64b7-4d34-b514-6c4e7aae3ca8&pinned_post_asset_id=5d4023a951ae87065597c850&pinned_post_type=share), one about [East Devon](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-devon-49083027?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=5d4023a851ae87065597c84f%2655%2C500%20government-funded%20trees%20planted%20in%20East%20Devon%20in%20eight%20years%20%262019-07-30T14%3A27%3A49.596Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:7ea49b7c-8042-48a6-ba83-702f5225a50a&pinned_post_asset_id=5d4023a851ae87065597c84f&pinned_post_type=share), another about [South Hams](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-devon-49083027?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=5d4023a328b0fb067d70ed59%2676%2C100%20government-funded%20trees%20planted%20in%20South%20Hams%20in%20eight%20years%20%262019-07-30T14%3A25%3A10.100Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:d5a1244d-05fc-4e47-aa71-d8423f2a4b92&pinned_post_asset_id=5d4023a328b0fb067d70ed59&pinned_post_type=share), the [Isles of Scilly](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-devon-49083027?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=5d40239d28b0fb067d70ed56%26No%20government-funded%20trees%20planted%20on%20the%20Isles%20of%20Scilly%20in%20eight%20years%20%262019-07-30T13%3A48%3A41.226Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:36c2ec48-d375-45c6-98d1-e7ffe17a1be9&pinned_post_asset_id=5d40239d28b0fb067d70ed56&pinned_post_type=share), and another about [Exeter figures](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-devon-49083027?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=5d4023b751ae87065597c852%2620%2C000%20government-funded%20trees%20planted%20in%20Exeter%20in%20eight%20years%20%262019-07-30T13%3A45%3A01.105Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:80b0d07f-8ee2-4831-977b-5b6306c375ac&pinned_post_asset_id=5d4023b751ae87065597c852&pinned_post_type=share)



![](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BBC-Data-Unit/tree-planting/master/treestory_automated_cornwall.png)



## Get the data



* Forestry Commission: [New planting of trees supported by the Rural Development Programme for England, and other forms of Government support: Report for April 2010 to September 2018](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/new-planting-of-trees-supported-by-the-rural-development-programme-for-england-and-other-forms-of-government-support-report-for-april-2010-to-septem) - [data tables](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/779804/FC_New_Planting_Trees_England_Apr10_Sep18_Constituencies_LAs_Data_Tables.xlsx) and [version copied here](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/tree-planting/blob/master/FC_New_Planting_Trees_England_Apr10_Sep18_Constituencies_LAs_Data_Tables%20(1).xlsx)

* CSV: [Tree planting by year and nation, 1976-2019](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/tree-planting/blob/master/treeplant.csv)

* CSV: [Tree planting by year and nation, 1976-2019 (long)](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/tree-planting/blob/master/treeplantnation.csv)

* CSV: [Tree planting by region and BBC area, 2010-2018](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/tree-planting/blob/master/trees.csv)



## Interviews and quotes



* Ewa Kmietowicz, transport and agriculture team leader, Committee on Climate Change (CCC)

* Andy Howard, runs a company that finds places for new woodland

* Stuart Goodall, chief executive, Confor (represents the forestry and sawmilling sector across the UK)

* Spokesman, Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

* Steve Marsh, the Woodland Trust

* Dr Jennifer Allan, lecturer in environmental politics, Cardiff University



## Visualisation



* Histogram: Tree planting rates in the UK, 1976-2019

* Choropleth map: New trees planted per 1,000 population, 2010-2018

* Bar chart: 10 areas with the highest number of new trees planted between 2010-18 per 1,000 people 



Rob England later created [this Flourish bar chart race](https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/1015193/) which was not used in the story. 



## Code and scripts



A small part of the automated output (aggregating numbers by station) was generated by [this Python script](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/tree-planting/blob/master/trees_per_station.py)



A [Workbench workflow shows some of the process for cleaning the data for use with the automation system](https://app.workbenchdata.com/workflows/24186/)