Tree Charter

Plant for the future

When we enjoy the company of a treasured tree or the beauty of a favourite wood we often owe thanks to those with the foresight and confidence to invest in the future. We must show that same generosity of spirit, that same sense of hope for the future, and plant more now. Line streets with living greenery, let trees allow shifting colour into every life. More orchards for communities, more hedges for wildlife, more forests for timber and jobs. Nurture people’s pride in their local trees and empower them to care for their future. Right tree, right place, bright future.

TREE CHARTER IN ACTION

Articles
Evidence

Increase canopy cover across the UK
The UK’s low canopy cover means there are fewer trees and less accessible woodland than we need for a future in which trees and people stand stronger together. We should pursue opportunities to plant more trees and increase canopy cover across rural and urban landscapes, prioritising areas with low canopy cover when planning at a local or national level. We need to develop innovative ways to encourage more tree planting and consider how woodland creation and tree planting can be linked to house building and other priority areas for development through innovative approaches such as agroforestry and sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS).

Plant the right tree for the right place
Every tree planted needs to be a tree that will survive and thrive. A tree that is wanted and planted appropriately will bring the most benefit and avoid potential problems as it grows. Plant healthy, vigorous trees with known provenance that are able and ready to thrive in the environment in which they are destined to live.

Take a landscape view
Trees do not exist in isolation. They affect, and are affected by, the wider landscape and should be planted with this in mind. All new planting should consider the local character of the area and be accompanied by a researched and realistic management plan that takes a short, medium and long-term view.

Plant with purpose
Plant trees to create functional, accessible spaces that deliver for people by improving health, providing timber, creating local enterprise and employment opportunities, improving soil and water quality and their management, and improving agricultural land use.

Plant for beauty
Trees can define the look and feel of a place for those who spend time there. Plant flowering trees or trees with colourful berries or changing leaf colour where people live and work to provide beauty, connect with the seasons and to inspire a love of trees in those who experience them.

Plant more hedges and replenish those that become damaged
In rural and urban areas hedges provide functional beauty as screens, enclosures, habitat for wildlife and by helping to reduce noise and air pollution. Landowners, local authorities and home owners should be encouraged and supported to maximise opportunities for hedge planting wherever they can be properly managed and do not detract from valued landscape characteristics, and to replenish and maintain those that exist.

Plant more orchards
Orchards are community resources that can make even a small green space deliver for people and wildlife. Orchard planting and maintenance of traditional orchards in urban and rural landscapes should be encouraged and supported locally and by national policy.

Plan ahead
Forward planning allows professionals to be prepared to deliver planting according to good practice, but targets are only positive if they can be trusted to be met. We need planting policies and incentives that ensure realistic and achievable annual planting targets and consistent levels of new planting, enabling nurseries to plan effectively and supply demand without using imported trees.

Involve everyone in planting trees
People remember and care about the trees they plant. Wherever possible, local communities should be involved in planting and caring for trees, in order to create a sense of responsibility for their wellbeing. Children should be given the opportunity to plant trees while at school so the next generation gains skills and knowledge about the care, protection and choice of trees.

Woodland Indicators
The Woodland Trust’s Woodland Indicators by Parliamentary Constituency study compares woodland cover, ancient woodland threats and woodland accessibility across the UK.
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Planting the Future
Confor's Planting the Future report examines the value of trees for our economy, the environment and society.
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Trees and Development
Northern Ireland’s local councils and the Department for Infrastructure offer a best practice guide for considering the importance of trees during development.
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Plantations for People, Planet and Prosperity
This report by New Generations Plantations looks into the beneficial role plantations could play in combatting a number of environmental and economic issues.
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Agroforestry: A new approach to increasing farm production
A Nuffield Farming Scholarships Report by Stephen Briggs explaining how trees can allow farms to make better use of natural resources for food production.
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UK Planting facts and figures 2017
The Woodland Trust summarises the current issues around woodland creation in the UK.
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DON'T STOP THERE

Rows of newly planted saplings in tree guards

Get free trees from the Woodland Trust to plant in your community

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Man planting a tree sapling in a newly dug hole

Learn how to plant a tree that will thrive with the Royal Horticultural Society

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People planting trees and shrubs in a city garden

Plant a tree with Trees for Cities to help green an urban area near you

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Rows of saplings in tree guards on a snowy Scottish hillside

Plant a tree with Trees for Life and help increase tree cover in Scotland

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Group of volunteer tree planters digging with spades

Be a part of National Tree Week: The Tree Council explains all

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A community digging to plant fruit trees for an orchard

Create a new community orchard with The Orchard Project

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Get involved with Hedgerow Harvest for free, healthy food

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Mature trees growing in hedges and field boundaries

Find out more about The Tree Council’s Hedge Tree Campaign

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Ting seedling germinating in the woodland floor

Gather seeds with The Tree Council to grow local trees with known provenance

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Learn how we can plan for greener local landscapes

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YOUR STORIES

"When I was 11 I planted an acorn in my front garden which over the years grew into a beautiful tree. No matter how old I got, I would stand beneath my tree and lose myself in the leaves marveling at the amount of life it supported. There were bugs, birds, lichen and even a squirrel’s dray at one point; I had a whole ecosystem on my own doorstep! I’m now 52 and have moved away from my childhood home, but my lovely oak tree is still never far from my thoughts."

Carol

Image: @MattLarsenDaw

Wood pigeon perched amongst white tree blossom

"Trees are our history, our oxygen and nature’s best habitat. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing trees you have planted transform the landscape and bring in the wildlife."

Simon

Image: @JohnWMacPherson

"I spent a lot of time in woodland with my granddad growing up. He taught me a lot, particularly that nature wasn’t something to be controlled but could be helped along, if required. A couple of years after he passed away, I collected a few acorns and planted them in pots. One grew particularly well after I left home for university, my mum planted it on the edge of some woodland near our home. I like to think that it will grow for hundreds of years and serve as a living tribute to someone who taught me so much. I think he’d be pretty pleased with that…"

Jonny

Image: Emily Fitton

"I am 97 later this year and cannot imagine not having trees around me. My earliest memory is the bluebells under the beech trees of Buckinghamshire. Now I am in Scotland where the trees are more spruce and pine. Over the years I have had pleasure from growing trees from acorns chestnuts and beech nuts. Keep up the good work, trees are important for so many reasons."

Edna

Image: @jenniven

Felled tree left to decay and return nutrients to the soil

"The smell of damp earth with dead leaves turning into a dark, crumbly surface and insects busy helping it along, makes you want to run your hands through it to help it on its way - spreading new energy and growth."

Julia

Image: Karen Williams

Chickens pecking the ground around newly planted saplings

"Do something meaningful this weekend, go buy a tree and plant it! It’s not expensive or hard to do, try doing something positive for our future generations and stop yapping on twitter and facebook about another country's president! It’s not important, trees are. Without them we will have no atmosphere and we will cease to be. Go on and plant one whenever you can, you will feel great for doing so. For everyone’s sake please have a go and find happiness!"

Ashley

Image: @GMHeritageTrees

"As I live in a very urban built up ex mining town trees aren’t so plentiful. But every one that is there makes such a difference to my everyday life."

Jill

Image: Derek Ward