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National project to give every household in Wales a free tree begins handing out saplings

25 Feb 2022 3 minute read
Deputy Minister for Climate Change Lee Waters planting a tree. Picture by the Welsh Government.

A national project to give every household in Wales a free tree has begun handing out saplings.

It follows a promise made by Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters in December that every household in Wales would be offered a free tree as part of a Welsh Government project to fight climate change.

Welsh Government has teamed up with Coed Cadw, the Woodland Trust in Wales, to deliver the project.

The collections started today in Cwmbran and will run throughout March at five regional hubs as part of a pilot that will see the release of 5,000 trees to local households.

In autumn, and to coincide with the next tree planting season, the scheme will be extended to 25 regional hubs across Wales where 200,000 will be available to collect.

“It is great to be here to see the start of this project that will make a real difference in our commitment to reach net zero by 2050,” Lee Waters said on a visit to Blaen Bran Woodlands in Cwmbran.

“We are in a climate and nature emergency and Wales is particularly vulnerable to increased flooding and coastal erosion as our weather changes, in order to become a Net Zero Wales by 2050 and strengthen our natural flood defences, we must plant 86 million trees over the next decade.

“It’s great to speak to families today and it is already clear to see that this project will help people further understand and experience the many benefits that trees can provide, not only to the environment but also to health and wellbeing.

“I would like to thank all involved at Coed Cadw for partnering with us to deliver this project and I look forward to seeing it extended later in the year.”

‘Great example’

The March giveaway will run from five regional hubs in Llanrwst, Wrexham, Machynlleth, Swansea and Cwmbran.

People living near those sites can ‘log in’ here to find details of their hub and how to collect a tree. On collection they will receive advice from trained volunteers on how to plant and care for their new tree.

Natalie Buttriss, Director of Coed Cadw said: “This project is a great example of how ‘the will’ to do something, becomes ‘the way’ in a short space of time.

“We know from our experience of tree planting projects how much people care about the tree they are planting, and how this can inspire the whole family and their network of friends.

“It’s great to also have on board our community partner, Llais Y Goedwig, who have helped us to set up the tree hubs that will be central to this project.”

To find out more about the first phase of the project and to make sure you’re first to know about the next collection, visit here.


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Gaynor
Gaynor
2 years ago

Embarassing. There are plenty of trees growing wild and self seeding, just let them be. This is just an emptyPR stunt with no teeth. If they care so much about trees why are so many of them being felled around Wales. I have never seen do much felling in my life. All over Wales farms have woodland yet the Gvt gives our farmers no grants to look after existing woods, they prefer to give money to tax evading, gas guzzling businesses based in the city to colonise our farms and plant good land with trees. Lee Waters is underwhelming in… Read more »

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
2 years ago
Reply to  Gaynor

You can say that again…

Red
Red
2 years ago

Have to say this hasn’t been thought out very well, just 5 pick up points spread through Wales and only one of them being in one of our major centres of population is ridiculous and will result in very poor uptake,

Cynan
Cynan
2 years ago

Not sure of the opposition to this. I look forward to getting my tree.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
2 years ago

If anyone wants a bag of mixed acorns, sweet chestnuts etc let me know…

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
2 years ago
Reply to  Mab Meirion

I had to bite my tongue then to keep the peace with Ifan…grrr

Glyn Jones
Glyn Jones
2 years ago

Will all the un-needed houses built to cater for economic greed instead of community need get more than one tree to offset the carbon created in building them and to make up for the loss of green space and the resulting continuing emissions? O chwi ragrithwyr, arweinwyr dall, ffyliaid a deillion, seirff, epil gwiberod.

Last edited 2 years ago by Glyn Jones
hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago

Posturing, gesture politics. Man needs to rethink the priorities of this country otherwise we will be circling the plughole with not a pot to pee into. This kind of puerile stuff is the other extreme of the nonsense we get from likes of JRM reported here earlier. Is it too difficult for Waters and his cohorts to think a touch more deeply and start backing native ventures. Try funding our own farmers to set up localised timber projects, thus keeping out those predatory City types. Or is he too fond of the latter ? If so he should buzz off… Read more »

Malcolmrj
Malcolmrj
2 years ago

Has i said before wait in a few years when you have the trees blocking the views and light from other people’s houses there’s going to be a lot of anger out there

Sian Caiach
2 years ago

If Welsh government has any regard for the future of the trees it needs to be giving out free watering cans to keep them alive , The new weather pattern of spring and summer droughts are more deadly to bare rooted saplings than anything and like the wet stormy winters are said to be already “baked in “. If these little tree will make any difference to climate change don’t just hand them out with no instructions. In some plantations there is regularly up to 90% loses of small saplings Gaynor is quite right about the callous and shallow attitude… Read more »

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