Residents to be given 8,000 free trees for planting in St Albans District
Residents and community groups in St Albans District are to be given 8,000 free trees to help improve the local environment.
They can apply for up to five trees from nine species, including Silver Birch, Wild Cherry and Crab Apple, which are suited to the District’s climate and soil conditions.
This is the second year in a row that thousands of trees have been given away for planting in the gardens and privately-owned green spaces across the District.
St Albans City and District Council (SADC) is helping to fund and organise the Your Tree Our Future initiative in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council.
Residents can apply for some of the trees on this webpage where further information is available about the scheme.
Arrangements will be made for collections from key locations in the District during the tree planting season which starts in the autumn months.
The giveaway is one of more than 100 actions that SADC is taking to tackle the climate emergency and reduce harmful emissions to net zero across the District by 2030.
Trees help to combat global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide while releasing oxygen back into the air. They also provide a natural habitat and food for wildlife.
Councils from around the county are taking part in Your Tree Our Future with a minimum of 60,000 trees in total to be given away.
In addition to the tree giveaway, SADC is planning to plant a further 3,000 trees on its own green spaces this year.
Councillor Raj Visram, SADC’s Lead Councillor for Climate, said:
The tree giveaway was a huge success last year with more than 7,500 trees being snapped up by our residents.
We are delighted to have brought it back this year in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council and I am sure the response will be equally as good.
I’d urge interested residents who have somewhere to plant a tree or two to go onto the website without delay and make an application.
The scale of this giveaway, combined with our plans to plant thousands more trees on our land during the next planting season, is a demonstration of our commitment to tackle climate change. The enthusiasm of our residents shows that they are in full support of our ambitions.
Picture: scene from last year’s tree giveaway in St Albans District.
Contact for the media: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, 01727-819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.