Ben Fogle on reforestation, the power of trees and what children really need to be taught

The broadcaster is hoping to encourage all of us to plant more trees – and appreciate their majesty, writes Ella Walker

Fogle advocates schools teaching nature to students. Picture: HP Inc./PA.

“You have to be pretty cold-hearted to not be moved by trees,” says Ben Fogle, 48. The broadcaster and adventurer – who shot to fame after appearing in Castaway 2000 – is on a mission to increase UK tree coverage from a paltry 13%, way behind the rest of Europe.

If we want to fight climate change and support biodiversity, “we have to up our game when it comes to reforestation,” argues the father-of-two. “We need to do better, and we can do better. We’ve got the space. We’ve got the willpower. We’ve got the manpower and we just need to act.”