Bucks Tree Mission flourishes with more than 145,000 trees planted since October

Buckinghamshire Council is celebrating the significant progress made in its Bucks Tree Mission, with over 145,000 trees planted since October 2022.

The overall mission, which began in 2021, is to plant over 543,000 new trees on council-owned land in Buckinghamshire within a decade – one for every resident. This is part of the council’s comprehensive Climate Change and Air Quality Strategy.

The most recent tree planting season ran from October 2022 to March 2023. Key projects in the county have included a mix of large-scale tree planting on council land and a wide variety of local community planting initiatives.

• Grange Farm – 14,700 trees and shrubs planted at this site to create a new woodland in Hazlemere. Volunteers, including 60 school children, attended a planting day run by Chiltern Rangers.
• Bury Farm – 14,300 trees and shrubs planted at this site in Amersham, creating a new woodland.
• Platinum Way – 4,038 trees planted along this walking, wheeling and cycling route with volunteer planting co-ordinated by Chiltern Rangers.

Alongside the larger projects on council-owned land, community involvement has resulted in locally delivered, smaller tree planting projects across Bucks. One such example is the St Peter's Greenway, where a total of 2,700 trees were planted, spanning from Berryfields to Buckingham Park. Additionally, two 'tiny forests' were established; one at Princes Risborough School and the other at Bourton Park in Buckingham, both consisting of 600 trees each.

Furthermore, a lease has been signed with Forestry England to create a new woodland in Bucks near Wing, where 132,000 trees will be planted over the next 12 months. During a relatively wet April, Forestry England have already planted over 109,000 trees at the new Wing Woods.

Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said:

"This winter has seen a fantastic community effort across the entire county, and it's inspiring to witness such progress in planting a whole new generation of trees in Buckinghamshire.

"The creation of a new woodland near Wing, in partnership with Forestry England is a great success for the council and residents. We’re aiming to plant a total of 132,000 trees at Wing Woods over the next year, with over 109,000 already in the ground.”

"This is all part of our Bucks Tree Mission to plant over half a million trees in Buckinghamshire as part of our climate change commitment to reach net zero no later than 2050."

Find out more about Bucks Tree Mission.