Landowners, farmers, and other groups have until the end of November to apply for free trees to plant on their land in a scheme involving the Woodland Trust.
The scheme provides free packs of trees and hedges designed to help renew and restore existing woodland and vegetation, as well as replacing trees which have been affected by diseases such as ash dieback and encouraging more tree planting across Leicestershire.
The deadline for applying for the free tree and hedge packs has now been extended to Thursday 30 November, with successful applicants being able to collect their trees from Beaumanor Hall in Woodhouse on Wednesday 21 February 2024.
The tree packs are being made available to anyone who lives in Leicestershire with suitable areas of land to plant – including community groups, parish councils and schools, as well as landowners and farmers.
Each free tree pack includes 50 native trees – a mix of oak, wild cherry, crab apple, field maple and hazel, as well as tree guards and stakes. The hedgerow packs are made up of 250 native trees and shrubs, including a mix of hawthorn, hazel, field maple and oaks to plant at regular intervals along the hedgerow. Each hedgerow pack is enough to create a 50m-long hedge at five plants per metre.
Last year, the county council gave away around 50,000 trees from this and other similar schemes – and is hoping this year’s scheme will prove even more successful.
Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for the environment and the green agenda, said: “Trees play a vital role in keeping our air clean, helping to prevent flooding and providing valuable habitats for local wildlife. The free trees scheme is always hugely popular with groups, schools, and other landowners, which shows that the people of Leicestershire share our commitment to making the county a greener place to live and work.
“We have extended the deadline for applications to give more people the chance to sign up for the tree and hedge packs, and I would encourage anyone with a suitable area of land to apply to become part of this great scheme.”
Anyone who would like to apply for a free tree or hedgerow pack is asked to register by emailing lcctreepacks@woodlandtrust.org.uk
