Blog: Will the government’s plan for 130,000 new trees help?

The government has announced it will invest £10 million to help tackle climate change by planting 130,000 trees across England’s towns and cities.

Planting these trees is key to the improvement of environmental conditions and green spaces.

At the Land Trust we are committed to the preservation and conservation of green space. We encourage people to get involved with their local green spaces, often creating an emotional ownership of our sites by the community.
At the Countess of Chester Country Park, 200 volunteers planted 500 trees at their third annual planting day recently, taking the total of new trees at the park to well over 3000.
There were several dedicated volunteers, park visitors and members of the community who came to the park to make their mark by planting a tree who feel they have made a positive impact on their local environment. Hopefully many more members of the public will get involved in the planting of these 130,000 trees and feel a sense of pride and carefulness in the green spaces around them.
The £10 million used through through the Urban Tree Challenge Fund will help to plant more trees in built up areas of the country, helping the government to meet its target of planting one million urban trees by 2022. Trees in urban spaces have more benefits than just helping with the climate crisis; they help absorb noise, reduce flood risk, provide shade and create green spaces for community benefit.
This new fund is a part of the government’s Year of Green Action, a yearlong drive to help people to connect with, protect and enhance nature.
The scheme will be open to individuals, local authorities, charities and NGOs, and will be administered by the Forestry Commission. The funds will pay for the planting of the trees and the first three years of their upkeep. As a challenge fund, the applicants will have to match the funding provided by the government.
This is encouraging news for us at the Land Trust; we are committed to improving the quality of green spaces across the country and protecting the spaces we currently have.
As Government Tree Champion Sir William Worsley said:
”Trees are the lifeblood of our nation, and it is more important than ever to ensure they are rooted not only in our countryside, but in our towns and cities too.
“The benefits of planting urban trees are endless, and I encourage anyone with the ability to apply for this fund to get involved and help green our towns and cities.”
The forestry commission will ensure that the receivers of the grant will provide the greatest environmental and social benefits as possible. The Land Trust is excited to see this scheme implemented and hopes to see more positive changes for our environment in the future.