Grant funding to plant trees

Worcestershire County Council have been successful in securing grant funding through the Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF). 

The grant scheme is aimed at local authorities to increase tree cover outside of woodlands in both rural and urban landscapes. The LATF funding comes from the Government’s £750m Nature for Climate Fund and is administered by the Forestry Commission.   

The funding will be utilised for tree planting and maintenance along the highway network, with newly planted trees scattered throughout the county. 

The grant funding specifies new trees are planted in rural settings or where a tree is to be planted in an urban setting, it must replace an existing tree removed in the past 3 years. 

What does this mean for the county?

The funding presents an exciting opportunity to increase the number of our green assets and expand the county's tree stock. The trees planted will have:

• an immediate visual impact
• increase the amenity value of the surrounding area
• restore tree cover in urban settings

The new trees are an investment in our future treescape, they will 

• diversify our tree population
• play a role in combating climate change
• filter the air we breathe
• become the next generation of trees

The first phase of the project has been completed, with 80 trees planted in the 23/24 planting season. These will now be maintained for 3 years. Around 205 trees are planned for the 24/25 planting season, with onward maintenance until 2028.

Look out to see if a new tree pops up in your area.