The Church of England is proud to be a partner for the Queen’s Green Canopy, a tree planting and preservation campaign that will leave a lasting legacy to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, working with the commitment of enhancing, preserving and increasing access to the amazing green space that the county has to offer.
Tree Wardens will work with communities and parish councils to link up existing woodland with woodland walkways and hedgerows as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy. This tree planting will not only create natural corridors for biodiversity, but link the county together through creative planting of its footpaths and bridleways.
Quality green space is essential not just for the environment, but also for residents’ health and wellbeing. Suffolk already has commitment from local government, industry and community organisations to create the greenest county. In this context, the Queen’s Green Canopy in Suffolk will be designed to improve access and awareness of both existing and new green spaces, with particular focus on residents who don’t have access to green space or that have the most to gain from the mental and physical health benefits it provides.
At project launch, Ipswich’s Oasis project will include planting in open public spaces, gardens, highways and developments. It aims to increase the tree canopy across the town from 18 to 20% and address the inequalities in access to quality green space by focusing on areas of green deprivation. Suffolk County Council and Green Light Trust’s Healing Woods project will work with existing and new woodland to positively impact residents’ mental health. The Woodland Trust has donated 2.5km of hedging and 5,000 trees for distribution to the Tree Wardens for planting in their parishes. Deputy Lieutenant David Barclay has donated 1.5 acres of land in the village of Higham for residents to plant 1,000 native species of trees in their name. The Church of England in Suffolk is encouraging tree planting in schools and churchyards and the Suffolk Agricultural Association will be promoting the project to its members and schools across the county. To support tree planting across the county, the Suffolk Community Foundation is setting up a Suffolk Canopy Fund which individuals and organisations are encouraged to donate to.
These commitments will build on a host of existing projects that will ensure an abundant canopy for the Jubilee. This includes 100,000 trees and 15 km of hedgerow planted through the Suffolk 2020 Fund, 20,000 trees donated to landowners by the Woodland Trust, 16,500 trees planted through the Tree Warden Network for the Suffolk Tree Partnership and 350 native trees donated by the Woodland Trust and planted by primary schools in conjunction with the Suffolk Agricultural Association.
Diana Hunt, Suffolk Deputy Lieutenant and spokesperson for The Queen’s Green Canopy in Suffolk said:
“Suffolk has been working to achieve a countywide commitment for the Queen’s Green Canopy and we are delighted that so many brilliant organisations are working together, not only to honour our monarch’s 70 years of service but to achieve lasting and meaningful change for all our residents. Together we hope to plant a tree for every resident and we are encouraging as many people as possible get involved. The quality green space this project creates will encourage thriving communities for generations to come.”
The Queen’s Green Canopy is supporting counties to create a network of individual or specimen trees, tree avenues, copses and woodlands to enhance the country’s environment and landscapes to thank the Queen for her exceptional service. Throughout her reign the Queen has planted more than 1,500 trees all over the world.
The project in Suffolk is in line with Suffolk County Council’s Tree Partnership and the National Association of Local Councils’ Tree Charter. It also forms part of the County’s plan to address the climate emergency declared in 2019, with the aim to make Suffolk carbon neutral by 2030.
For further information please click here.
Partners include:
Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Tree Warden Network, the Woodland Trust, Green Light Trust, the National Trust, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Suffolk Community Foundation, Church of England in Suffolk, Ipswich Borough Council, Royal Forestry Society, Community Action Suffolk, Forestry Commission, the Suffolk Agricultural Association and Suffolk’s Association of Local Councils.