Be a #ForceForNature and plant an orchard at your school

Warwickshire County Council is encouraging all Warwickshire Schools to take advantage of the free tree and hedgerow planting kits before the application deadline closes on Friday 10 February.

Find out more and apply here: https://treecouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/schools-and-education/orchards-for-schools/

The Orchards for Schools campaign is part of The Tree Council’s #ForceforNature campaign, which has been made possible by generous donations as part of their Big Give initiative. The packs are available to any schools who have not previously applied to the Orchards for Schools scheme.

By signing up to Orchards for Schools, they are also committing to the Tree Council’s Orchards for Schools Tree Care Pledge to Plan, Grow and Care for their trees:

Plan – Using their resources and guidance, schools can create a comprehensive tree planting project that ensures their orchard gets planted in a suitable location so it can thrive.

Grow – Trees must be planted where they will have light and space to thrive over the next 25 years. Schools will carefully position a cane and tie to support their early growth and keep the space around the base of the tree clear of vegetation with a 10cm layer of mulch which helps and provides nutrients.

Care – Schools will water their trees regularly (20 litres a week each) including during the school holidays if there are periods of dry weather. Thanks to the resources provided, schools will be able to engage their pupils with caring, learning from and celebrating their trees through club and lesson activities. They will observe the young trees, checking for disease and pests to ensure they remain healthy.

Cllr Heather Timms, Portfolio Holder for Environment, Climate and Culture, said: “This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for schools in Warwickshire to receive an orchard or fruiting hedgerow pack from the Tree Council and to join with the thousands of others across the UK who have already chosen to be a #ForceforNature.

“The global reduction of woods and forests and associated habitat and biodiversity loss is one of the greatest damages that we have done to our planet and its ecosystems. Renewed tree planting across the world will be integral to our response to the mounting climate crisis, which is why this Council is so committed to its own tree planting and to encouraging our residents, businesses, schools, community and voluntary groups, that are able, to do the same.

“The Woodlands Trust have stated that to meet the UK’s carbon net-zero target, it will need to plant at least 1.44 million hectares of new forestry across the country. In Warwickshire, we are fully committed to playing our part in this huge tree planting challenge.

“To everyone who does rise to the challenge of planting a tree in the 2022/23 season, I would encourage you to log it on the West Midlands Virtual Forest platform so we can contribute to creating a picture of new trees and woodland across the region.”

More information about the The Tree Council, is available here: https://treecouncil.org.uk/  

For schools that miss out on this opportunity from The Tree Council, free tree planting kits are also available from The Woodlands Trust: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/schools-and-communities/

Find out more about Warwickshire County Council’s tree-planting ambitions and new tree nursery here: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/news/article/3587/20-000-acorns-in-the-ground-as-warwickshire-s-tree-nursery-takes-root

For more information about how Warwickshire is facing the challenges of the climate change emergency, visit: https://www.warwickshireclimateemergency.org.uk/

Get the latest news about how Warwickshire County Council and partners are facing the challenge of the climate emergency and how you can get involved: http://eepurl.com/hrk-zf