Thousands of trees given away for free to Leicestershire landowners

A record 34,000 trees have been given away to landowners and farmers to plant across Leicestershire.

More than 100 community groups, parish councils, schools, landowners and farmers picked up packs of trees from Beaumanor Hall near Loughborough.

It was the biggest tree giveaway ever undertaken by Leicestershire County Council in partnership with the Woodland Trust.

The free tree and hedgerow packs are designed to help renew and restore existing woodland and vegetation, and replace trees which have been affected by diseases such as ash dieback.

Each tree pack includes 45 native trees - 15 each of oak, crab apple and hazel. The hedgerow packs are made up of 250 hedgerow shrubs, including a mix of hawthorn, hazel, blackthorn, field maple, dog rose as well as oaks to plant at regular intervals along the hedgerow.

They were offered to anyone living in Leicestershire with suitable areas of land to plant.

Leicestershire County Council environment spokesman Cllr Blake Pain said: “This year was the largest number of trees we have ever given away.

"As part of our commitment to becoming a net-zero county by 2045, trees have an important role to play in keeping our air clean, helping to prevent flooding and providing valuable habitats for local wildlife.”

Leicestershire is one of the least wooded areas of the country, with around six per cent woodland – well below the national average of 10 per cent.