Community groups and schools wanting to plant trees as the country
recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic are being told to get their
applications into the Woodland Trust soon. The charity says
its free scheme is the perfect way for people to be part of a
“green recovery”. Thanks to funding from Sainsbury’s, Players of
People’s Postcode Lottery, Lloyds Bank, Joules, Bank of Scotland
and Sofology, some 560,000 saplings have been snapped up for autumn
delivery and there’s just...Request free
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Community groups and schools wanting to plant trees as the
country recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic are being told to get
their applications into the Woodland Trust soon.
The charity says its free scheme is the perfect way for people to
be part of a “green recovery”.
Thanks to funding from Sainsbury’s, Players of People’s Postcode
Lottery, Lloyds Bank, Joules, Bank of Scotland and Sofology, some
560,000 saplings have been snapped up for autumn delivery and
there’s just over a month before the deadline to apply.
Senior project lead Vicki Baddeley said:
“Lockdown has proved to us the value people put on green spaces.
Having somewhere to escape to, to clear their heads and get fresh
air has never been so important. They’ve found comfort and strength
from daily walks rediscovering the joys of trees, woods and the
wildlife within them.
“Our free trees for schools and community groups give us the
opportunity to create more of these spaces and address the climate
and nature crises at grass roots level. We’ve heard a lot about
economic recovery as a result of the Corona virus but you can’t
make the economy more resilient without making the environment
resilient too.
“it’s fantastic that so many saplings have been snapped up for the
approaching planting season; saplings that will provide plenty of
benefits for wildlife and for people whether that be locking up
carbon, improved soil or water, new habitat, a food source, an
outdoor classroom or a community space to benefit our
wellbeing.”
Since the initiative started in 2010, more than ten million trees
have been sent across the UK to schools and community groups keen
to improve their local area.
Packs contain a mix of UK sourced and grown native broadleaf
species such as hazel, rowan, hawthorn, common oak, silver birch,
wild cherry, elder, dogwood and holly.
There are packs that will provide year-long colour, a wild harvest
or a haven for wildlife, one that contains hardy species which
tolerate exposed sites and dry up areas where water collects easily
and a working wood mix which could provide fuel for wood burners or
willow for weaving.
They come in various sizes starting at packs of 15, which are
perfect for residential areas with limited communal space. If no
shared space is available, applications to split between
neighbouring front gardens to green up a street are
considered.
Other pack sizes include 30 saplings, which will create an
eight-metre hedgerow or a tennis court-sized copse, 105 which is
enough to cover an area as big as four tennis courts, or 420 to
cover an area the size of a football pitch.
To order your free trees, visit www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/freetrees before
14 August.
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