Community Tree Scheme is now open for business

Please note that the scheme has now closed for this year due to unprecedented demand – thank you so much for the enthusiastic response!

Watch this space for next year’s scheme

Residents are being urged to show off their green fingers and come forward to help out as Shropshire Council bids to plant a tree for every person in the county.

The council is delighted to announce that the Community Tree Scheme is up and running once again, supplying transplant trees and hedgerow stock for planting during the coming autumn/winter season.

Applications are invited from people who wish to plant trees and short sections of hedging and create small areas of woodland in the county.

Tree planting

The planting must be fully visible to the public, if not directly accessible, and support the objectives of enhancing landscape and wildlife values.

Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for adult social care, public health and climate change, said:

“We are so excited to announce that our Community Tree Scheme is back up and running and taking applications.

“This scheme is a real marker in our bid to become carbon neutral by 2030 – and it is hoped 12,500 new trees will be planted across the county this year, while we are also hoping to accelerate that number going forward.

“We are focussing this year on planting groups of native trees and shrubs as copses and small areas of woodland, to maximise the benefits for landscape and wildlife around the county.

“A really exciting new feature of the scheme this year is that successful applicants must be prepared to show the location and planting details of their trees on an interactive map of Shropshire.

“This will provide a permanent and growing record of where trees have been planted around the county.”

Residents will also have the option of planting small amounts of native hedgerow, either to ‘gap up’ existing hedgerows or to create short lengths of new ones, where this improves habitat continuity or connectivity.

The planted trees and hedges will also ‘lock up’ carbon and provide other environmental benefits as they grow and mature, contributing in their own small way towards our ambition of making Shropshire net zero carbon by 2030.

All planting stock will be sourced and grown within the UK.

Please note that we cannot supply trees where planting is required by law or other obligation, for example to comply with a condition attached to a planning permission, or to replace trees unlawfully removed.

You can apply to join the scheme by clicking here.