Schools and communities across Somerset are being urged to help re-tree the county by taking advantage of an offer from the Woodland Trust.

The Trust is giving away hundreds of thousands of trees, with deliveries in March and November for planting.

Applications for Autumn 2024 delivery open on 15th January and will close as soon as all the trees are allocated, so act quickly to get your trees ready, as this offer will be operated on a first come first served basis, for next planting season.

For more information visit [email protected]. The free tree packs have been generously funded by lead partners Sainsbury's, Lloyds Bank, OVO Energy, Bank of Scotland and Sofology.

The application process is simple, and Somerset Council's Woodland Creation Officers are available to provide help and guidance on any tree and hedgerow planting – before or after an application has been submitted.

To contact a Woodland Creation Officer email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Funded entirely by a successful bid to the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, the two officers are key to delivering the Council's Tree Strategy that was adopted in June 2023.

The Tree Strategy sets out a plan for planting 240 hectares of new trees and woodlands each year across the county until 2033.

Increasing the county's tree coverage, which at 8% is almost half that of the national average, is an important part of the Council's plan to move towards Net Zero.

Before embarking on your tree planting project, it is important to be sensitive to the needs of your chosen plot or land area by planting the right tree in the right place.

Councillor Dixie Darch, Lead Member for Environment and Climate Change said: "This is an exciting opportunity for schools and communities across Somerset to get involved in helping to increase our woodland coverage.

Whether it's planting one tree or several you can make a difference by uniting with your school friends or neighbours to plant trees for free and help change happen."

Before you apply, you'll need to:

·      Know the six-digit grid reference for the land you wish to plant using OS Maps

·      Have permission from the legal landowner

·      You can find out important and useful information by reading through The Woodland Trust short list of FAQs.

To find out more about what you need to plan, plant and importantly, care for your trees, access The Woodland Trust's planning tool, planting advice and interactive activities, which are helpful for community groups and schools too.