Funding announced to increase tree cover in England

£2 million has been awarded to projects investigating the best ways to boost tree numbers outside of woodlands.

The projects will test new ways to increase tree coverage and strengthen biosecurity, while at the same time, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change and meet the government’s 2050 net zero ambitions.

The second phase of the Trees Outside Woodland Research and Development programme will fund projects testing the effectiveness of tree planting methods and approaches in non-woodland areas. The funding is aimed at improving people’s health and wellbeing by giving them access to more nature and helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Projects receiving funding will test how to sustainably improve the capacity and biosecurity of locally grown tree planting stock, to ensure more trees can be planted closer to where people live and research the most cost-effective and biosecure ways to plant, establish, and promote trees outside woods, enabling increases in non-woodland tree canopy cover. They will also focus on sharing this knowledge with Local Authorities to enable enhanced local delivery of healthy and thriving treescapes. In the long term, the projects will help to increase tree cover within our local communities and deliver on commitments set out within the Environmental Improvement Plan to level up people’s access to nature and improve our mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

Forestry minister Trudy Harrison, said: “The Trees Outside Woodland programme has supported myriad pilot projects up and down the country that have bolstered the health and resilience of our non-woodland treescapes. From agroforestry schemes in Cornwall to experimental Miyawaki plots in Kent, the Trees Outside Woodland programme is providing a springboard for innovative research into tree planting.

“Further investment in the programme will build on previous successful work and help Government deliver on our ambitious tree planting targets.”

Director of trees, science & research at The Tree Council, Jon Stokes, said:“Historically undervalued, the 4.3% of England that is covered with non-woodland treescapes - such as hedges, scrub, trees on farms, parks, and in urban settings – is now recognised among our most important treescapes. This funding is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about growing and protecting these precious trees. These are the trees that people most often see in their daily lives, and they provide essential habitat connectivity and homes for wildlife all across the country. The Tree Council is delighted to help coordinate this amazing collaboration.”