40th Anniversary National Tree Week
Saturday 28th November – Sunday 6th December
ROOTED IN THE COMMUNITY
The strength and wellbeing of urban and rural communities alike is rooted in its trees. Strong healthy trees are a mark of a strong healthy community, and to continue to grow strong together, it’s essential for communities to keep on planting trees.
This is why, each winter, The Tree Council inspires thousands of people across Britain to join forces and plant upwards of a million trees during National Tree Week – the UK’s largest tree festival.
Launched in 1975, National Tree Week is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
The campaign has its roots in the national response to the Dutch Elm Disease crisis of the 1960s, which destroyed millions of trees. Communities across the UK answered the call to help replenish their depleted treescapes by taking part in the groundbreaking Plant a Tree in ‘73 initiative. Following the campaign’s success, The Tree Council was founded and the first ever National Tree Week took place two years later.
40 years on, and we are once again facing a major threat to our trees in the form of ash dieback. To stem the damage to our landscapes and neighbourhoods, it is more essential than ever that we grow more trees in our parks, streets, woods and green spaces.
Tree planting activities and workshops are taking place around the country organised by schools, community groups, The Tree Council’s member organisations and its volunteer Tree Wardens. Details can be found on The Tree Council’s interactive ‘Near You’ map, while tips for hosting an event and a downloadable poster to promote it are also available via the website: http://www.treecouncil.org.uk.
‘With forty years of successful growth behind it, National Tree Week has become firmly rooted in the calendar of hundreds of community groups around the UK,’ said Pauline Buchanan Black, Director-General of The Tree Council. ‘To mark the 40th anniversary of this important campaign, we want to celebrate Britain’s rich heritage of tree-planting and applaud the commitment of communities that really value their trees.’