Almost 20,000 trees have been planted in Somerset by more than 200 individuals and organisations as part of the Queens Green Canopy initiative.

On the last day of the official tree planting season, which ran from October to March, Her Majesty The Queen sent the following thank-you message to all those people in the United Kingdom who came together to plant over a million Jubilee trees in her name:

“As the planting season draws to a close, I send my sincere thanks to everyone across the country who has planted a tree to celebrate my Platinum Jubilee. I am deeply touched that so many community groups, schools, families, and individuals have made their own unique contributions to the Green Canopy initiative.  I hope your Jubilee trees flourish and grow for many years to come, for future generations to enjoy.”

Her Majesty’s message marks the halfway point for The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative, which spans two official tree planting seasons. Tree planting will start again in October 2022, through to the end of the Jubilee year.

Somerset’s contribution to the numbers was outstanding: some 200 individuals and organisations participated, and almost 20,000 trees were planted around the county.

People in the north and west of Somerset were the most enthusiastic planters.  Among major Somerset towns, Taunton and its surrounds emerged as the winner, with 2,437 trees planted.  Weston-super-Mare, Bath, Bridgwater, Minehead and Shepton Mallet made a very good showing, as did Yeovil, Clevedon, and Glastonbury.  Twenty-seven schools and colleges were among those who participated, between them planting over 2,000 trees.

The Lord Lieutenant, Annie Maw, said: “I am absolutely delighted by this performance.  The enthusiasm shown by Somerset people for the Green Canopy scheme is a wonderful mark of respect for Her Majesty and will make a real contribution to the re-greening of our county.  I do hope that those who have not been able to plant so far will do so during the second planting season, which starts in October.  But do remember you must register your tree on the interactive map in order to become an official member of the Queen’s Green Canopy!”

In other Somerset news:

• Bath has been designated a ‘Champion City’, because it has trees and woodland as a central part of its plans for green spaces.
• Horner Wood, on Exmoor, has been chosen as part of a nationwide network of 70 ancient woodlands and trees to be dedicated to the Queen.  This is one of the largest unenclosed ancient semi-natural woodlands in the UK, and evidence has been found of humans living in and using the woodland dating back thousands of years to the Bronze and Iron Ages.
• 420 pupils at Saltford CofE Primary School will be given special commemorative Jubilee coins from the Royal Mint to mark their successful completion of the Queen’s Green Canopy/Royal Forestry Society Junior Forester Award, which aims to give young people of all ages an insight into the skills needed for a career in Forestry, and to equip them with the practical ability to assist in woodland management in their schools and local communities.

To learn more about the Queen’s Green Canopy project, visit: www.queensgreencanopy.org. This provides advice about how best to select and plant trees.  The interactive map on which to register your trees can be found at: Map – The Queen’s Green Canopy (queensgreencanopy.org).

The Woodland Trust is offering free packs to schools and communities who apply at the following website, which also gives a lot of detail about what is available and answers a comprehensive list of questions about the scheme: Free Trees for Schools and Communities – Woodland Trust .  Those applying now will receive their trees in November.