250,000 trees are being planted in tribute to Lord Nelson

Lamberhurst Farm, in Dargate, near Whitstable, is to be the flagship site in the initiative, which will see 27 woodlands planted across the UK.

All the Trafalgar Wood sites will be named after the 27 ships that made up Lord Nelson's fleet.

The Kent site will be known as Victory Wood, with planting to start in October and continuing until March 2006.

Letter to parliament

At least 15,000 children will help plant a total of 250,000 trees across Britain as part of the Woodland Trust's Tree For All campaign.

The new generation of trees commemorate the tens of thousands used to construct naval vessels.

HMS Victory was built at Chatham Dockyard from the wood of more than 5,000 oaks and the entire fleet of 27 ships contained about 50,000 oaks, representing roughly two million years of tree growth.

Lord Nelson acknowledged the importance of trees to the success of the British Navy and in 1803 he wrote a letter to parliament calling for more trees to be planted to safeguard the British woodland.

Andy Beer, of the Woodland Trust, said Trafalgar Woods marked the important link between maritime history and Britain's native woodland.

"We want to get people thinking about just how pivotal timber was - not only to the navy but in everyday life."