ECO-FRIENDLY schools, colleges and community groups are being urged to apply for a free tree planting kit from The Woodland Trust.
For the UK to meet its 2050 carbon net-zero target, it needs to plant millions more trees across the country.
To help reach this figure, the Woodland Trust is offering free tree planting kits to create new wooded areas and habitats for animals.
Residents don’t need to belong to an official organisation and can even set up a group for the purpose of planting, but it must be not-for-profit.
Warwickshire County Council – which is backing the initiative – says the most important thing is groups are willing to take on the planning, planting and care of the saplings.
The trees can be planted as copses, groves, avenues, shelter belts, hedgerows and in a variety of other ways.
But the amount of space needed will differ depending on how the trees are planted.
A 30 sapling pack will cover around one tennis court, or create around seven metres of double-row hedging. A 420 sapling pack will cover a football pitch, or create a double-row hedgerow of around 90 metres.
Land has to be publicly accessible open space or groups will require written permission of the landowner to plant the trees.
County council environment spokeswoman Heather Timms said: “I hope to see as many schools, colleges and community groups as possible applying for their free tree planting kits from the Woodland Trust.
“The challenges we face through the changing climate of our planet can only be overcome through a concerted collective effort to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and thereby minimising our carbon footprints.
“Warwickshire County Council has made leaps and bounds in reducing its own carbon footprint and we are now calling on our residents to think about the things that they can do to benefit the cause. Planting trees are a great place to start as their benefits are manifold: they help to remove harmful carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while creating beautiful outdoor environments and providing new habitats for a variety of wildlife.”
Visit www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/schools-and-communities to apply.
