Wokingham

Wokingham Borough Council has 56 different trees up for grabs this week – which have been offered to local Town and Parish councils for free to celebrate National Tree Week.

Mature trees, ranging from 25ft Rowans to 15ft Hawthorns are available to towns and parishes borough-wide as a unique gift from the Wokingham borough council to local communities during National Tree Week.

The Wokingham borough council’s parks and open spaces team have 56 different trees to donate and have written to all the town and parish councils asking if they would like to select and plant from a selection of trees in the next few weeks.

Neil Carr, head of neighbourhoods, said: “I’m really pleased that the parks and open spaces team have been able to offer to donate more than 50 trees that are ready for planting in the community as part of National Tree Week.

“Trees are a very important part of our environment and so I hope our towns and parishes jump at the chance of getting hold of their tree-present in the next few days.”

The following trees are ready for planting immediately:

• Eight Hawthorne trees (between 15ft and 20ft tall)
• 20 Rowan trees (between 20ft and 25ft)
• Three Silver Birch trees (around 20ft each)
• 25 Hornbeam trees (around 15ft tall each)

The Wokingham borough council’s parks and open spaces team have nurtured, watered and weeded the trees as saplings and now they are all in need of good homes so that they can become strong specimens for the community to enjoy. The trees will be bare-rooted and bagged by contractors for the parks and open spaces team on the tree site, so all that towns and parishes have to do is collect and transport the tree to their desired new home and plant it.

Neil added: “It’s not often that our parks and open spaces team are able to offer such a long-lasting gift so I’d urge all interested town and parish council’s to get in touch straight away as it’s first come first served in bagging a tree bargain.”

The tree donation is part of the borough’s commitment towards National Tree Week, which marks the start of the tree planting season. It is the UK’s biggest annual tree celebration and this year runs from November 25 until December 6.

Wokingham Borough Council