Tag: The Tree Council

The Tree Council opens £2.5m Trees Outside Woodland planting fund as Defra doubles investment in community trees

Stuart Mitchell

The Defra backed Trees Outside Woodland (TOW) Fund is now open for a second year, with more than double the support available for tree, hedgerow and orchard establishment projects in England. Following huge demand in 2025, the Trees Outside Woodland Fund, a collaboration between national environmental charity, The Tree Council and Defra, opens today, offering grants of up to £40,000 for local authority and charity-led projects. Supporting initiatives that boost biodiversity, improve air quality, reduce flood risk and create meaningful environmental enhancements for communities across England, the fund is specifically designed to…

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New £1m Trees Outside Woodland Fund now open

Stuart Mitchell

Grants to support the establishment of thousands of trees, orchards and hedgerows on streets, in parks, and in community and educational spaces across the UK, are now available through The Tree Council – including the introduction of a new £1m grant pot, funded by Defra.  The Tree Council, the national charity working together for the love of trees, offers a range of funding and free tree options to support planting projects; helping to bring greater biodiversity, improved air quality, reduced risk of flooding, and deliver significant environmental enhancement to grant…

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The Tree Council calls for greater protection of England’s most important trees

Stuart Mitchell

Following the felling of a 500-year-old oak in London, The Tree Council is calling for more legal protections for the nation’s ancient trees, akin to those given to buildings with listed status. The news comes as the charity publishes a new report with Forest Research calling for a “robust and effective system” of protections as part of an action plan to secure the future of some of England’s most important trees. Chief executive of The Tree Council, Sara Lom, said: “It makes me sad to hear the news of the felling…

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Tree giveaway schemes are more effective when you ask people to pay for their trees, new research finds

Stuart Mitchell

Tree schemes are an effective way for organisations to get trees established in a wide range of locations, and asking people to invest financially in their trees significantly improves their survival rates, according to new trial results. A trial led by the Trees Outside Woodland research project reveals that subsidised tree planting schemes significantly improve survival rates and cost effectiveness compared to free tree giveaways. This new finding offers insights for local authorities aiming to expand tree cover. Jon Stokes, Director of Science and Research at The Tree Council said:…

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350,000 trees planted and many more to come as The Tree Council and Network Rail renew partnership

Stuart Mitchell

The Tree Council and Network Rail are aiming to plant thousands of trees in hundreds of communities across the country as their award-winning partnership is renewed for an additional five-year period.  Their previous agreement resulted in the successful planting of more than 350,000 saplings in 180 communities, along with aftercare to secure the trees’ future.  The new agreement sees Network Rail pledge £1.2m towards tree establishment and care across three Network Rail regions in England – Eastern, Northwest and Central, and Southern – along with the company’s national Route Services…

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