Free tree and hedge packs now available in Leicestershire

The county council has set a target of planting 700,000 trees – one for every person in Leicestershire.

Tree packs are now available for landowners, farmers, schools and community groups in Leicestershire.

Leicestershire County Council has teamed up with the Woodland Trust and Lloyds Banking Group to offer free tree and hedgerow packs, which are designed to help renew and restore existing woodland and vegetation, as well as replacing trees which have been affected by diseases such as ash dieback.

Each free tree pack includes 50 native tree saplings – a mix of oak, wild cherry, crab apple, field maple and hazel, as well as tree guards and stakes.

The hedgerow packs are made up of 250 native trees and shrubs, including a mix of hawthorn, hazel, field maple and oaks to plant at regular intervals along the hedgerow. Each hedgerow pack is enough to create a 50m-long hedge at five plants per metre.

The tree packs are being made available to anyone who lives in Leicestershire with suitable areas of land to plant – including community groups, parish councils and schools, landowners and farmers.

Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for the environment and the green agenda, said: "We’re delighted to be working with the Woodland Trust and Lloyds Banking Group again this year, to provide free trees and hedgerows to farmers and landowners across Leicestershire.

"Trees play a vital role in keeping our air clean, helping to prevent flooding and providing valuable habitats for local wildlife.

“The free trees scheme is always hugely popular with groups, schools and other landowners, which shows that the people of Leicestershire share our commitment to making the county a greener place to live and work. I would encourage anyone with a suitable area of land to apply to become part of this great scheme.”

The closing date for applications is Monday 11 November.