The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, falling into the bottom 10% globally.
It’s a race against time to halt the country’s rapidly declining biodiversity and tree planting and rewilding charities are leading the way.
From community-based rewilding projects to petitioning the government for policy changes, these are some of the best tree planting charities UK folks can work with to greenify their landscape and help restore nature.
Our Curated List Of The Best Tree Planting Charities UK
1. Trees For Cities
Trees for Cities’ Tree Planting Programmes
Trees for Cities is the only plant-a-tree charity in the UK that works on a national and international scale to plant more trees in cities.
Founded in 1993, the charity works with local communities to help them revitalise neglected spaces, create healthier environments and enhance diversity in urban areas. To date, it’s planted more than 1,756,739 trees in urban areas thanks to over 140,000 volunteers.
Trees for Cities also does extensive work with schools to help connect younger generations with nature, improving their mental well-being and empowering them to grow their own food.
Their Trees for Schools programme turns urban playgrounds into greener, healthier places. They plant trees, woodland play areas, outside classrooms and food-growing planters.
2. The Tree Council
The Tree Council’s Plant-A-Tree Charity UK
The Tree Council works with governments, communities, volunteer tree wardens and everyone in between towards a shared mission to protect trees and the future of the planet.
Set up in 1973, they’ve organised planting and research programmes to build healthy treescapes across the UK, acting as a coordinator, bringing charities together, offering grants to green up spaces, and inspiring policy changes in government.
The Tree Council runs campaigns in celebration of trees throughout the year which you can be a part of. Each one has an aim to raise awareness and connect local communities with nature.
Get involved with this tree charity, UK residents can celebrate spring with Spring in Your Step, show appreciation for trees in National Tree Week and join Seed Gathering Season for the next generation of trees.
The Tree Council has also partnered with Hedgelink and Life on the Hedge to help raise awareness of the importance of hedges on biodiversity in the British countryside.
3. International Tree Foundation
International Tree Foundation’s Tree Planting Charity UK
Since 1922, the International Tree Foundation has worked all over the world to plant trees in the UK and Kenya via partnership with local communities.
Its UK Community Tree Planting Programme supports grassroots and small-scale community tree planting projects through funding and coordination. It’s driven by empowering local communities to design and run projects themselves and engage with their local area.
From community orchards to native woodland planting, all its projects take place on land that the general public can visit to encourage local ownership and positive well-being.
ITF awards grants of up to £50,000 to local tree planting projects and applications are open from June to December every year. Over the last 20 years, it’s helped over 200 small-scale projects.
You don’t have to be an organisation to get involved. If you’re based in Oxfordshire, you can apply to receive a free tree for your garden as part of an annual giveaway with Community Action Groups Oxfordshire.
4. Trees for Life
Trees for Life’s UK Tree Planting Charity
Trees for Life is on a mission to rewild the Highlands of Scotland by restoring the Caledonian Forest which once covered 1.5 million hectares of land.
It also has a hand in rewilding the Affric Highlands, a Rewilding Europe area of conservation, alongside campaigning to reintroduce apex predators like the lynx to manage the deer population.
To date, the charity has planted more than two million trees and provided countless hours of training for rewilding projects and educational resources for schools.
Trees for Life runs popular nature holiday Rewilding Weeks where volunteers aged 18 and over can spend a week planting trees in the Scottish Highlands. Projects include planting trees in Glenmoriston, restoring lost woodlands at RSPB Corrimony or getting involved with rewilding at Affric Highlands.
You can also visit the charity’s Dundreggan Rewilding Centre for free (it’s dog-friendly!) and learn about the importance of rewilding, have lunch in the cafe or stay in its brand-new accommodation.
5. Avon Needs Trees
Avon Needs Trees’ Woodland Planting Projects
Avon Needs Trees is a small Bristol-based charity that buys land in the Bristol-Avon Catchment Area to reforest and rewild. Aptly named, the charity is working to restore Avon’s depleted woodland to enhance biodiversity and provide natural flood management for towns and cities in the area. The acquired land is also open to access by the public.
Supported by larger organisations such as The Environmental Agency, The Woodland Trust and the Bristol-Avon Rivers Trust among others, the charity has successfully set up five permanent woodlands.
The UK tree charity’s biggest project to date is Great Avon Wood in Somerset. Together with Forest of Avon Trust, the charity bought over 100 acres of land and has enlisted the help of volunteers to plant and care for over 40,000 trees. It’s the largest woodland creation project in the west of England.
Avon Needs Trees is always looking for volunteers. It’s also set up a new free woodland training programme to help adults gain new skills that will lead them to employment opportunities in the green sector.
6. Birmingham TreePeople
Birmingham TreePeople’s Urban Forest Plan
Birmingham TreePeople is a Birmingham-based non-profit dedicated to planting urban forests in the city. Set up by Birmingham City Council’s Tree Officers in 2016, the charity is run by specialists who work to improve tree coverage in the city.
Projects include citizen science research to calculate the benefits of urban forests, supporting landowners with residential trees, working with local councillors and protecting trees against vandalism and disease.
Thanks to the work carried out by the charity, Birmingham was awarded ‘Tree Cities of the World’ status in 2019. This programme was developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Arbor Day Foundation to celebrate green urban spaces across the globe.
Birmingham TreePeople hopes to continue increasing green spaces in the city with its Urban Forest Master Plan. Together with partners, its ambitious plan aims to increase canopy cover, reduce urban heating and improve air quality by 2051.
7. Heal Rewilding
Heal Rewilding’s Environmental Charity UK
Heal Rewilding is an innovative not-for-profit organisation that’s taking a different approach to planting trees. It crowdfunds to buy land for rewilding around England.
You’re invited to sponsor a 3×3 metre square of land for rewilding. 3×3 Heal donations are put towards acquiring rewilding sites. Once enough money is raised, every Heal is matched up randomly with a what3words address on the site.
Since its launch in March 2020, it’s secured a £3 million loan to be put towards two rewilding sites. The first is a 460-acre site in Somerset which you can visit, camp in or tour.
Heal has plans to open a second site in the North of England. It has secured the funding and will be looking for a suitable landholding in 2024. This is part of its ongoing mission to set up a rewilding site in every English county by 2050 which will cover an area of 25,000 acres.
Heal is looking to buy a neglected piece of land at around 500 acres for roaming animals and is accessible by public transport. It also wants to convert buildings into spaces for public engagement.
8. Rewilding Britain
Rewilding Britain’s UK Nature Restoration Projects
Rewilding Britain is the UK’s first and only country-wide organisation that focuses on rewilding and the benefits it brings. Not just a tree planting charity, the UK organisation supports landowners from community groups to NGOs, private and state-owned to put rewilding into practice in a science-backed and sustainable way.
Rewilding Britain has set up the Rewilding Network, a place for people who want to rewild to connect with others, share knowledge and get advice.
It’s also launched a Rewilding Innovation Fund to help scale up nature reserves and restoration across Britain. Key projects include restoring England’s national parks, expanding woodland areas, rewetting peatlands, reintroducing missing species and supporting nature-based economies.
To date, it’s helped rewild 171,611 hectares of land and 506 square kilometres of seabeds and has given funding to over 44 projects.
9. Forestry England
Forestry England’s Tree Charity UK
Forestry England manages over 1500 forests around England. It works to rebuild and protect forests, care for recovering ecosystems, and reintroduce missing species all through research and expert land management. Its nursery grows over seven million new trees every year to replant forests and create new woodland areas.
Forestry England’s forests are designed with people in mind. It has built over 1800 miles of walking, running and cycling trails and set up an education centre to invite communities to connect with nature.
It’s also England’s largest supplier of sustainably sourced timber. Some trees are felled in a process called ‘thinning’ which allows more plants and wildlife to flourish. This occurs when trees are fully grown anywhere from 40-150 years after planting.
Forestry England hosts a range of outdoor events throughout the year in forests across the UK Sign up to be a Forest Runner, enjoy art installations and sculptures or bring families along to do a segway trail.
10. Yorkshire Rewilding Network
Yorkshire Rewilding Network’s Rewilding Community
The Yorkshire Rewilding Network is a charity which brings together anyone in the region with an interest in rewilding. It’s a network to inspire, share knowledge, get help and work towards a nature-first approach to land management.
The charity’s aim is to empower communities to rewild no matter what scale, from patios and allotments to urban gardens and 1000-acre farms.
You can also use it to find rewilding projects near you and meet like-minded people via a forum. The Yorkshire Rewilding Network hosts a series of free and paid events throughout the year. The best way to stay up to date is to join the free forum.
11. The Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust’s UK Tree Conservation Projects
With over 1000 woods in its care, the Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK, planting and restoring the nation’s woodlands through science-backed research and evidence.
The Woodland Trust also works with the government and policymakers to secure stronger protection for trees in the UK. Projects and campaigns include funding for agroforestry on farms, fighting for the protection of some of the oldest trees in Britain and saving trees from the new HS2 rail link.
Alongside campaigns, the charity donates thousands of trees to schools and communities to give everyone a chance to plant a tree. You can apply to request a free tree pack whether it’s a 30-tree hedge or a 420-tree working woodland.
On a more personal level, you can also buy trees for your garden in their online shop or plant a tree to dedicate to a loved one in one of its UK woodlands.
Closing Thoughts On UK Tree Planting Organizations
Planting trees in the UK has never been more important. According to the Committee on Climate Change, the UK needs to plant 1.5 billion trees to help it reach its zero carbon emissions target by 2050.
That’s a lot of trees–and the task isn’t as simple as throwing seeds on the ground and hoping for the best. Planting trees requires careful, science-based research and planning.
Whether big or small, these charities plant and protect trees in a way that ensures a lasting positive impact on local landscapes and communities, and helps restore resilient ecosystems in the face of climate change.
Tree-t your nature-loving friend to this list of inspiring UK tree planting charities and let’s all play our part in restoring nature.
