Correspondence

eAlert: 2 December 2021 - National Tree Week

Published 2 December 2021

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2021

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1. Millions of funding announced for projects in England to plant hundreds of thousands of trees

1.1 On Saturday, we announced that over £12 million from the Nature for Climate Fund will be allocated to the successful applicants to four funds supporting tree planting efforts for future generations.

  • 260,000 trees will be planted outside of woodlands as part of the Local Authority Treescapes Fund with 139 local authorities awarded a share of the now £4.4 million pot across 42 projects
  • 46 projects in England planting almost 25,000 trees will be supported through the third round of the Urban Tree Challenge Fund, building upon the 134,000 trees already planted through this fund in deprived urban areas
  • the Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds will distribute almost £700,000 to 17 projects restoring biodiversity in vulnerable natural habitats, helping woodlands adapt to a changing climate and aiding their recovery from the impacts of pests and diseases
  • the Tree Production Innovation Fund will make over £1 million available to 16 innovative projects striving to increase and diversify our domestic tree production - read more about the Tree Production Innovation Fund on our blog

Forestry Commission Chair, Sir William Worsley said:

These inspiring initiatives will help to stem the tide of biodiversity loss and promote resilient tree growth and management across the UK, whilst helping to futureproof our natural world amidst a changing climate.

Read about our National Tree Week funding announcement

2. We’ve published new guidance on how to look after your woodland for the future

2.1 Our new GOV.UK webpage provides support and guidance on all things woodland management and maintenance.

This includes information on

  • how to create a woodland management plan
  • sources of funding for woodland maintenance
  • the regulations you need to follow as a woodland manager
  • helpful guides on sustainable woodland management

Take a look at our Managing and maintaining woodlands: overview webpage

3. Forestry England announce a new partnership with AstraZeneca to plant over one million trees in England

The majority of the trees will be used to support the creation of new forests in England – amplifying the impact of Defra’s Nature for Climate funding and Forestry England’s woodland creation programme by almost 700,000 additional trees.

Planting will begin at Thetford this winter, with an underplanting programme to support trees that have been impacted by Dothistroma needle blight, and in future years the partnership will support the restoration of Goyt valley that has been affected by Phytopthora ramorum.

We Need Trees: AstraZeneca partnership

Read more about the Cumbria Coastal Community Forest

4. Updated Observatree website launches to help survey, monitor and report on the health status of Britain’s trees

The website will act as a hub for over 200 trained citizen scientists helping to protect the UK’s trees forests and woodlands by recording sightings of pests and diseases. The website has been improved and modernised, and includes updated images of pests and diseases.

Take a look at the Observatree website or sign up to the Observatree newsletter.

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