General

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Good question! Our key features are that:

• Many charities similar to us plant trees overseas, where land is cheaper. Whilst that is extremely important work, we want to help wildlife in the UK, so we'll only plant woodlands in the UK.
• We aim to be heavily research-based with our work, particularly towards climate change resilience and soil regeneration. The species we select and woodlands we design will be selected with maximum carbon sequestration capacity in mind. 
  • We're also researching the idea of capturing carbon from some* of the trees before they die, so they don't rot, as this releases a portion the carbon they sequester back into the atmosphere 
  • We'll leave most deadwood behind as it's great for wildlife, invertebrates and fungi
• We aim to only establish new woodlands on land we own, to maximise protection and longevity. 
  • This is particularly important because old woodlands are the most valuable to biodiversity and carbon sequestration, and ancient woodland coverage is continuously declining 
• We have no paid staff or offices and we don't send any post. Our overheads are extremely low
• We'll enable public access in our woodlands wherever we can.

On UK land and trees. Our volunteers will plant and maintain the woodlands. If you're interested, contact us!

• Climate Change: Trees are essential in the fight against climate change - not only planting them, but maintaining and protecting them forever
• Wildlife: British wildlife has been declining dramatically for decades, mostly because of habitat loss. Let's reverse it by planting woodlands; broadly the most ecologically diverse habitats in the country.
• Public Health: It's proven that physical and mental health is improved by woodlands. Ours will have public access. wherever possible 

Yes, we became a formally registered charity on the 2nd of December 2019. Our Registered Charity Number is 1186688.

We'll manage and protect them:

• From development, by maintaining our ownership of the land and upholding our duty as a charity
• From pests, by using sound tree management, biodegradable animal guards and fencing as necessary
• From weeds and brambles by using biodegradable mulches or weed guard 
• From drought, primarily by planting at the best time of year and using appropriate irrigation
• From disease, by sourcing from responsible, local suppliers and using disease-resistant stock wherever possible. 

Loads. Bees are great, so are hazel dormice and goldfinches. Did you know some bats fly up in the air when they've caught an insect because they can't send out echo-location with their mouth full? Owls are haunting and illusive. Red squirrels are wonderful. Have you ever seen a Privet Hawk-moth? They are huge, and fly as strongly as a bird. Hedgehogs are great. The Southern Hawker dragonfly menacingly patrols woodland rides, striking terror into the hearts of lesser flying insects. And what about the goshawk, which can fly at full speed through dense branches, tucking in one or both wings to fit through tiny gaps? Pine martens eat grey squirrels as true stewards of the woods. 

Please email us if you'd like any other animals featured on this mess of an answer.

No, we do not sell carbon credits. 

Carbon credits can be sold by woodland creation schemes into carbon markets, where they are bought by companies to avoid paying fines for exceeding emissions targets.

While carbon credits have a role to play in decarbonising economies globally, as a charity we take the view that the benefits provided by our woodlands must be uncompromised net gains, separate and in addition to the global carbon economy of burning and compensating. 

As a donor you can be confident that our woodlands will not be used as compensation for commercial greenhouse gas emissions or any other environmental impacts. 

To that end, setting up a monthly donation with us really does make a massive difference.

No. Whilst we are open to discuss collaboration with local landowners, stakeholders and businesses, we will never form any partnerships that compromise our ability to deliver on our core principals. We will engage with bodies such as the Woodland Trust and the Forestry Commission where they can support us in sourcing trees/suitable tree protection, and with additional contributions/grants.

We will work closely with the Forestry Commission and other bodies at the forefront of biosecurity and resilient woodland. This includes careful design of resilient, diverse woodlands, potentially comprised of pest/disease resistant varities and species.

Quite a lot! We need to: 

• Support and work with the local communities, not against them
• Avoid loss or damage of valuable habitats and cultural/historical areas 
• Find land that's not so high quality that it could be used for growing crops or other important uses 
• Be aware of environmental risks like flooding, contaminated land, utilities like overhead cables or gas mains 
• Use land that we can access 
• Maintain and protect the woodlands permanently
• Produce long-term management plans
• Navigate a complex landscape of grants and funding

We'll plant and manage the trees in a way that encourages long-term, species-rich woodlands, acting as long-term carbon storage and sequestration whilst also appealing to the public. That takes continual work and education: we will follow BS8545, BS5837 and advice from the Arboricultural Association and the Woodland Trust, among others.

Tree coverage of the UK is about 13% of total land area, substantially lower than the EU average of 42%. Woodland cover has declined overall since the last ice age as human demand for timber has exploded, although in the last 1,000 years it has broadly leveled off. In 1066, tree coverage is estimated to have been 15%, although by 1906 it had dropped to 5% [1], helped by centuries of industrial and military demand. 

Globally, however, the world has lost around 1/3 of its forest since the last ice age - a massive area [2].

Ice core analysis (an extremely accurate measure of historical atmospheric content) shows that between 1066 and 1900, global atmospheric carbon was around 280 parts per million [3]. It is now 409ppm and increasing every year because of global combustion of fossil fuels. That is a massive global change on a scale that humans have never seen before. It threatens everything, from agriculture and soil to pests and diseases. Flooding, drought, and extensive soil erosion are inevitable.

Trees not only absorb and help put carbon back into the ground; they also protect us against the symptoms of that change - they regulate humidity, they shelter the soil from drought, wind, and erosion, they improve soil structure and increase permeation, helping to reduce flooding and replenish aquifers, and they are our richest and most resilient habitat types. 

So whilst we have a similar coverage of trees in the UK as we did 1,000 years ago, we have 1.5x the CO2 in the air. Never in human history have trees been more necessary than they are now.

  Via the form on our homepage! Thank you!

  Absolutely! Please contact us at info@thetreeplanters.org 

Via donorbox from the homepage. If you're having trouble, we'd love to hear from you; info@thetreeplanters.org

 Sign up for our regular email updates at the bottom of the homepage! 

Nothing so far! All our work to date has been funded privately by the trustees. No money raised from donations has been spent; we're saving it to buy our first piece of land, probably in southeast England.

Absolutely. We hope to increase our reach, our fundraising and our profile at a steady pace, and we are supported by a broad range of highly qualified, experienced professionals who will come into their own as we grow. We also directly support and intend to work alongside other major organisations like The Woodland Trust and Forestry England.

We do. In our ranks we have a full-time arboricultural consultant and a full-time landscape gardener. We work on a strictly voluntary basis. 

We will plant native species in keeping with the surrounding area's current and historical woodlands, soil and other environmental characteristics. This will be done in cooperation with local authorities and other stakeholders, e.g. National Park Authorities, community groups and the Woodland Trust. 

We will also consider climate resilience in our individual tree selection, potentially including seeds from reputable, pest and disease-free nurseries in warmer climates, e.g. southern Europe, in our planting mixes.