Forest Eye Project will create the largest living forest feature in England
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Press Pack: Mett he kids making a 'Forest Eye'
Climate change and conservation are big issues.
The Forest Eye in Dalby Forest, Yorkshire, is a brand new project aimed at focusing our attention on our planet.
The 300-metre-wide forest feature will be planted with 5,000 beech, alder and maple trees to form the shape of a child's eye.
The idea is to highlight the importance of children's ideas for a flourishing natural environment in the future.
The Eye will be visible from the air in just six years as the trees mature.
"A powerful symbol"
Forests play an essential role in all our lives. They provide habitat for wildlife, absorb the carbon in the atmosphere - even provide us with the oxygen we need to breathe.
And that's why Forestry England, arts organisation Sand In Your Eye and the Environment Agency set up this unique project to create the largest living forest feature in England.
Take a peek at what the Forest Eye will look like in years to come
Children have a "deep understanding of the need to act now for nature's recovery (and have) immense enthusiasm to be co-creators of a better future," said Josephine Lavelle, Forestry England Director.
"Having the gaze of a child growing in the heart of this beautiful and ever-changing forest is a powerful symbol of how we need to listen and respond to the needs and vision of future generations."
Once the trees have grown - and established themselves in the shape of an eye - they will provide a place for wildlife like bats, birds and small mammals to live, and create an exciting place for people to explore and connect with the natural world.
That's good for the planet, and for our mental wellbeing too.
Climate change is the defining issue of this century. It affects everything. Hope-filled regenerative actions, like the ones we've taken together today, help us to understand the part we all must play.
"The trees are our paint"
It takes a lot of work to design an eye from the sky, but artistic director Jamie Wardley and his team have had plenty of practice.
Usually they're busy making sculptures from sand, ice and pumpkins. Watch Jamie help Martin carve a pumpkin for Halloween!
But this time they've set their sights on something big - REALLY BIG!
"Our work is about prompting people to think deeply and respond emotionally to some of the biggest issues facing us all including the impacts of the climate crisis", said Jamie, "the trees are our paint."
The white markings work like a stencil so it is clear from the ground where to plant the trees
The tree-planting plan doesn't end with a giant eye.
"It is our ambition to create the whole face of a young girl at the same scale, measuring 2000 metres across. Those trees that are planted in the Forest Eye are the very beginning of this."
The artwork will grow in Dalby Forest, which covers more than 3,500 hectares in the North York Moors National Park.
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