A EURO MP is visiting WGC today (Friday) as he urges residents to vote for Hertfordshire as a place to have new trees planted.

MEP Richard Howitt will be at the Marks and Spencers store, in the Howard Centre, from 3.45pm to meet staff and shoppers who are recycling their Christmas cards at a Woodland Trust collection point in store.

The Labour MP’s aim is to persuade people to log onto the Woodland Trust’s special website (link, right) to cast their vote for Hertfordshire as the area where they would like new trees funded by the proceeds of the scheme to be planted.

The East of England European representative will be passing on the message that if everyone the UK recycles just one card through the Woodland Trust scheme, it will save 1,570 tonnes of greenhouse gases - the same as taking 500 cars off the road for a year – and it will enable the Woodland Trust to plant 15,000 more trees in 2011.

Mr Howitt, who is a long standing supporter of the Woodland Trust, said: “The UK is one of the least wooded countries in Europe with only four per cent native woodland cover. But we need at least twice as many native trees and woods for the sake of wildlife and people, to combat climate change and improve our environment.

“This tree planting push will support the Woodland Trust’s “More Trees, More Good” campaign, which aims to double the number of woods in the country. I urge everyone to recycle their cards and then go online to vote for more trees to be planted in WGC.

“At Christmas we all give and receive cards, many of which have been manufactured as a result of trees being chopped down.

“What an amazing circle for us to complete by recycling cards and funding the Trust to put trees back in the ground in Hertfordshire.”