The Queen's Green Canopy

Summary

Launched in May 2021, The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.  All across the UK people are being invited to “Plant a tree for the Jubilee” to create a legacy in honour of The Queen’s leadership of the nation, which will benefit future generations.

The QGC is making a difference by planting trees in schools and urban areas with significant canopy deprivation across the UK. Jubilee tree planting is taking place during the official planting season, from October to March. Planting will resume in October through until the end of the Jubilee year.

Who is behind it?

The Queen’s Green Canopy is a not-for-profit, voluntary and inclusive initiative. With The Prince of Wales as its active Patron, The Queen’s Green Canopy is led by a board comprising forestry industry professionals, and those who are passionate about sustainability, closely collaborating with a number of charities, social enterprises and Government Departments in delivering its mission.

Why have we chosen this project?     

With a focus on planting sustainably, The Queen’s Green Canopy encourages tree planting to create a legacy in honour of The Queen’s leadership of the Nation, which will benefit future generations. As well as inviting the planting of new trees, The Queen’s Green Canopy will dedicate a network of 70 Ancient Woodlands across the UK and identify 70 Ancient Trees to celebrate Her Majesty’s 70 years of service. 

What do we most love about it?

It is an inclusive initiative, meaning that anyone can get involved. Whether as an individual hoping to plant a single sapling in your garden, a scout group planting a large tree or a City Council intending to plant a whole avenue of trees, everyone can play their part in this special project.

How does it work?

The Queen’s Green Canopy focuses on Planting, Education and Conservation. It aims to have high quality legacy planting in every county of the UK, with community engagement and best practice at its heart and an emphasis on making a difference in some of the most deprived areas in the UK.

By inviting everyone to plant considerable numbers of new trees throughout the country, The Queen’s Green Canopy seeks to highlight the significant value of trees and woodlands as nature’s simple but highly effective way to clean the air we breathe, slow the impact of climate change, create important wildlife habitats and improve our general health and wellbeing. 

The network of 70 Ancient Woodlands will demonstrate to the wider public the importance their natural and social history and ecology. Many of the selected woodlands will also provide a vital source of education for schools and community groups.

What broader benefits does it bring?

There is a tailored training programme supporting unemployed young people to learn new green skills, improving their chances of gaining future employment, along with a Young Foresters’ Award to highlight the value of trees to school children. Through their partners, The Queen’s Green Canopy can bring the beauty and benefits of trees to areas of greatest need across the country, particularly in urban city schools and communities.

How will we know it's working?

In the first tree planting season, the project has inspired over 1 million trees to be planted. All Jubilee trees can be uploaded to the interactive Queen’s Green Canopy Map creating a digital record of planting projects across the UK: https://queensgreencanopy.org/map-education-hub/qgc-map/

By the way...

Her Majesty and The Prince of Wales planted the first Jubilee tree in the grounds of Windsor Castle in March 2021, to mark the launch of The Queen’s Green Canopy.