APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED - updated on 25.02.21
Due to overwhelming demand the TREES4TW scheme has now closed and we are not accepting any further applications.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the scheme by submitting an application. We will review all submissions received and contact applicants very soon.
After we've allocated all the trees we have, we'll be rolling all outstanding applications over to autumn 2021 when a new order will be placed, this way no one who asked for a tree is going to miss out.
National Tree Week - the UK's largest annual tree celebration
The Tree Council first established National Tree Week in March 1975 to support national replanting of trees after the outbreak of Dutch Elm disease. National Tree Week is the UK's largest annual tree celebration, marking the start of the winter tree planting season (November to March each year). This year, it's taking place Saturday 28th November - Sunday 6th December.
Trees4TW - a free tree for you
To coincide and take part in National Tree Week, Telford & Wrekin Council are launching a tree scheme entitled Trees4TW and we have 8,600 trees to give away for distribution in January 2021. The scheme will provide a mix of native species grown in the UK including oak, beech, crab apple, silver birch and rowan, plus hedgerow species that include hawthorn, dog rose and blackthorn. The scheme is open to households, schools, charity organisations, public sector services, businesses and landowners within the borough. Applications are open from 30th November 2020 to noon on 18th December 2020 and trees will be allocated on a first come first served basis. The scheme may be closed before the published end date if all the trees have been allocated.
Nationally there is a Government target to achieve 30,000 hectares of new woodland in England by 2025 and to help tackle climate change we need to scale up the number of trees. Latest Government figures show that the UK is falling far behind on its tree-planting targets. Trees are a vital means to capture carbon, the borough already has over 15 million trees and planting more trees will help lock up the carbon, reduce flooding, create new habitats for wildlife, improve health and wellbeing and increase community spirit. The Council's Becoming Carbon Neutral Action Plan sets out the ways in which we will help to bring forward a strategy for woodland management, restructuring and new planting to reflect the borough's place as a 'forest community'.
Trees4TW is a great way for borough residents and landowners to get involved in helping to address the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis. Applications are invited from people who wish to plant trees and wildflower seeds. Householders with small gardens, balconies and window boxes are able to request wildflower seeds. These will be distributed at a later date to match optimum sowing conditions.
How we assess each application
We undertake three simple checks prior to approving an application. These are:
1: Checking that the postcode of the applicant is within Telford
2: Checking that there is no duplication of orders (has individual applied twice?), and finally
3: Allocating an applicant to a tree on a first come, first served basis”
Once all the trees have been allocated you will receive an email confirming if your application has been successful and the trees will be delivered to you from January to April 2021.
The Council is very keen to map the trees we supply so that, as they grow, we can estimate how they are contributing to addressing the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis. Following a successful application we'll invite you to log your tree on an online interactive map and share photos on our social media platforms of your trees as they grow.
For any Trees4TW enquiries please email: sustainability@telford.gov.uk
For all other trees, hedges and woodland enquiries please visit: Trees, hedges and woodland - Telford & Wrekin Council
