Trees for Cities is on a mission to fill our streets with trees

We’re facing a climate emergency, and with 84% of the UK population living in urban areas, now is the time to act to make our towns and cities liveable for future generations.  

Trees for Cities is the only UK charity working at a national and international scale to improve lives by planting trees in cities. To date they have planted over 1.2M trees in towns and cities across the UK and around the world.

Their latest project is one solution to the climate crisis that everyone can get on board with: the national street tree sponsorship scheme, Trees for Streets.

Trees produce oxygen, create shade, prevent flooding, filter the air, and absorb pollution, so we need to plant hundreds of thousands more now to make sure they are there for us in the future. London boasts some amazing parks, yet 1 in 5 of us is deprived of access to green space.

We need to bring greenery much closer to home where we really need it, so that everyone can benefit. We need to plant more trees in our streets. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

I’m doing everything in my power to make London net-zero carbon by 2030 and one of the greenest, most sustainable cities in the world. Having spent time with city mayors from around the world at COP26, I know that action is now more urgent than ever.

Planting more trees in London is a simple, yet vital step to helping us address the climate and ecological emergencies. They help tackle toxic air pollution, provide a home for wildlife, keep our city cool and manage flood risk – helping our city adapt to a changing climate. 
 
I’ve already funded the planting of over 340,000 trees in London including thousands of street trees in areas where they’re most needed. Innovative projects like Trees for Streets help give power to local communities to make a real difference to the environment and improve quality of life in their neighbourhoods.

Trees for Streets is a tech for good project from the charity Trees for Cities, funded by the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund and City Bridge Trust. Its mission is to fund the planting of more than 250,000 additional street trees nationwide over the next 10 years, by supplementing council tree planting budgets through public sponsorship.

Why are street trees important?

• Street trees do so much for us:
• capture carbon dioxide 
• produce oxygen
• improve our health and wellbeing – both physically and mentally 
• absorb air pollution 
• improve air quality by acting like natural filters 
• protect us from flooding 
• create shading and cooling – so important in towns and cities 
• make the neighbourhoods where we live that bit nicer

David Elliott, CEO, Trees for Cities, said:

The time to act is now. By planting trees, we celebrate something we all love and cherish. Something that brings urban communities together and actively works to promote healthy living, as well as addressing pollution and the stresses of city lifestyles. 

This new project amplifies the aims of our charity by inspiring and empowering urban communities to take a leading role in greening their streets. It has the potential to leave a lasting legacy on every street up and down this country and bring the multiple benefits of urban trees much closer to home, for everyone.

The Trees for Streets app makes it easy for anyone to sponsor a tree in their neighbourhood by making a request to their local council, empowering people to take an active role in greening their streets. The council then checks the suitability of the chosen location, and makes arrangements to plant a tree the following winter: the best time to plant young trees to ensure they grow and thrive. 

Having piloted the platform with the first cohort of 8 councils this year, we’re looking to bring more local authorities on board to build on the work we’ve been doing in 2021, and bring as many people in the UK as possible the option to sponsor a tree in their neighbourhood. With National Tree Week just around the corner, planting has already begun – but there’s still time for people to get involved.

Find out more: treesforstreets.org