Planting trees at the right time of year – the time is now, says National Trust

Planting trees at the right time of year – the time is now, says National Trust - National Trust

With National Tree Week nearly upon us, the National Trust is today urging people across the country to either plant a tree or donate to a tree planting charity as prime tree planting season approaches. Planting trees is one of the simplest ways for nations to tackle the climate crisis because they sequester carbon dioxide.

New research commissioned by the conservation charity suggests a growing appreciation of the benefits of planting trees and a growing relationship with trees among UK adults.

Results from a YouGov poll show that in future nearly half of all UK adults (49 per cent) would consider planting a tree to help the environment (with only 16 per cent having done so previously).

46 per cent said they would consider planting a tree in their garden or outdoor space (with 38 per cent having done so previously).

Statistics also revealed that over a quarter (28 per cent) of people would donate money to a conservation organisation to plant a tree on its land.

The charity also found that 42 per cent of adults thought spring was the right time of year to plant trees, compared to the seven per cent who correctly identified winter as the ideal time of year for tree planting.

Spring and summer are the worst time for planting trees as young trees need a lot of water, and traditionally this is when the UK experiences less rainfall which means the trees fail as they are unable to get properly established. Also broad leaf trees are dormant in winter so can be moved from nurseries to site and planted with minimal impact and stress to the tree.

The poll also found that more than a third (35 per cent) of adults say they would consider giving someone a tree rather than flowers or another gift (12 per cent have given a tree as a gift in the past).

Trees also appear to have become more important to people since March 2020, with over a quarter (28 per cent) of people saying they notice trees more now than before the start of the pandemic, compared to only three per cent who reported a decrease. Furthermore, over a third (37 per cent) of people say they take “considerable notice” of how trees change throughout the year.