evidence: Minnowburn is a National Trust site set in beautiful countryside outside of Belfast. Minnowburn Wood was created with multiple objectives of conservation and landscape enhancement, public access and carbon sequestration. Just 3.5 miles from Belfast City Centre, the woodland is located in the heart of Lagan Valley Regional Park. It sits adjacent and forms an important link to the Giant’s Ring, an enormous Neolithic earthwork henge, thought to be at least 4,000 years old. This exciting project sought to expand woodland cover, adding to existing woodland in Northern Ireland (which currently has one of the lowest woodland cover rates in Europe) by creating this new woodland and creating an oasis for wildlife in an urban location. 19,500 trees were planted on the site with nearly all being native species. [...] The planting of this woodland will boost biodiversity in this peri-urban situation, particularly as Northern Ireland generally is extremely deficient in woodland cover.