Cold School

A print of this picture hangs in my GP’s surgery. Of course, it’s a distant relative of the original painting, the palette warmed and the figures less severe to make it more palatable to ponder. But it captures my eye each visit nonetheless. It’s treeless.

Now, as CEO of the Woodland Trust, trees and woods are my daily focus, but that’s not the reason for my preoccupation. Trees are an antidote, and we needn’t be too scientific to get this. They’re natural mood lifters, air cleansers, sponges, homes for birdsong, and the changing clocks of our seasons. So, for me, nothing captures the cloying air and urban gloom in Lowry’s work than the lack of them.

England remains one of Europe’s least wooded countries, with a paltry 10 per cent tree cover compared to the European average of 39 per cent. The North of England fares worst at just 7.6 per cent. This makes for poor reading when we’re steering into the skid of unavoidable climate change. A major programme of greening and planting will be needed to lessen the impact and reduce the harm caused.

There’s a realisation now, at least, that the UK cannot keep on missing its tree-planting targets. We need bold visions, such as the Northern Forest, a plan to plant 50 million trees in and around Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Hull – a coast-to-coast ribbon of trees, woods and other wild habitats. The first trees are in, but there are so many more to go. We have an open door to anyone who can help make it happen. What a legacy that would be.

^{Coming Out of School was presented by the Trustees of the Duveen Paintings Fund in 1949 and is on display at Tate Britain.}

^{Darren Moorcroft is CEO of the Woodland Trust.}