Thousands take part in countywide tree giveaway

More than 4,000 people have taken up the offer of free trees as part of our 'Your Tree Our Future' scheme, which will see a minimum of 100,000 trees given away over the next four years.

On Saturday 3 December 46,000 trees were collected, as residents from across the county took up the offer of free trees. It is estimated that these trees could remove 77,000 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere over their lifetime.

The giveaway has been delivered by a partnership of the county council and Hertfordshire’s district and borough councils, as well as local charity Growing People. Herts FullStop provided its facilities, workforce and logistical expertise to help prepare and deliver the trees to the relevant pick-up points across the county.

The tree giveaway is just one of the ways we hope to deliver our Tree and Woodland Strategy, which outlines plans to establish 1.8m new trees in Hertfordshire by 2030.

Working with partners across the county will be key in delivering this ambitious figure. We have recently successfully bid for £78,983 on behalf of district and borough councils from the Local Authority Treescape fund. This funding will allow for a further 6,688 trees to be planted across the county this winter.

In addition, further funding from the Government’s Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund will allow the council to hire two new members of staff to provide support and work in partnership with others to deliver tree, hedgerow, and woodland planting between spring 2023 and 2025.

Cllr Phil Williams, Three Rivers District Council’s Lead Member for Environmental Services, Climate Change and Sustainability, said: “Trees are a beautiful part of our natural landscapes – but they are far more important than that alone. Trees are a vital element of life on Earth, ensuring the health and prosperity of our world. Not only do trees take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, they provide habitant for countless varieties of wildlife, keep pollutants out of rivers and act as natural coolants, which reduces the need for air conditioning as global temperatures rise. So there could be nothing more important than planting more trees at a time when we need them more than ever.”

Cllr Eric Buckmaster, Hertfordshire County Council's Executive Member for the Environment said: “Tree planting remains one of the most effective tools for delivering our Sustainable Hertfordshire ambitions. Planting trees in the right place helps to improve nature, tackle air pollution and reduces the amount of carbon in our atmosphere, as well as having positive impacts on physical and mental wellbeing”

“We are thrilled that the Your Tree Our Future project has enabled and inspired so many of our residents to contribute to our fight against climate change through tree planting, and we are looking forward to the next giveaway window in Autumn 2023.”

Anyone looking to take part in the Your Tree Our Future scheme can sign up to receive an email when the window re-opens in 2023 at  www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/yourtree

• PHOTO: From left, Alex Laurie, Three Rivers Distict Council's Principal Tree and Landscape Officer and Jeremy Clarke, Hertfordshire County Council's Biodiversity Programme Manager.