The Tree Council’s new ‘Talk to the Hedge’ programme to receive £500k

from Trees Call to Action Fund

The Tree Council’s new Talk to the Hedge programme has been awarded a £500k grant from the £6 million Trees Call to Action Fund, led by Defra, the Forestry Commission and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Talk to the Hedge starts in June this year and will enable The Tree Council to continue to bring everyone together to plant, protect and promote the UK’s often undervalued hedgerows. As the UK’s largest priority habitat, hedgerows are essential for biodiversity and support no less than 2,000 diverse species. And with their ability to lock away vast quantities of carbon, absorb pollution and reduce flooding, they are crucial in the fight against climate change. However, since WWII, more than 50% of UK hedgerows have been lost.

The new funding will secure the hedgerow programme to March 2025 and allow The Tree Council and partners (National Hedgelaying Society, People’s Trust for Endangered Species, Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group and Another Way) to bring multiple projects and initiatives to fruit, including:

Raising public awareness of the value of hedgerows through the annual National Hedgerow Week (17 – 25 September 2022)
Increasing UK tree stocks and sharing skills by establishing 18 new school and community group tree nurseries
Safeguarding the nation’s hedgerow heritage and engaging the public with ancient crafts through a series of hedge laying courses
Inspiring young people to explore greenspace careers through annual ‘Discovery Days’ (28 September 2022) and the popular green jobs podcast, Life On The Hedge
Helping smaller conservation charities develop their online presence, including the National Hedgelaying Society and Another Way, led by 19-year-old Cumbrian conservationist Amy Bray
Informing better hedgerow management through a new Good Hedge Guide in 2023
Talk to the Hedge will allow The Tree Council to build on the legacy of last year’s Close the Gap programme, which ran for 18 months and focussed on achieving bigger, healthier, better-connected hedgerows. The project has already planted 53 kms of new hedgerow, restored 26 kms of older hedgerows and closed the gaps in important wildlife corridors with more than 2,500 hedgerow trees established. 400 ‘Copse in a Box’ will be despatched over this summer enabling volunteers to launch their own community nurseries.

Sara Lom, CEO of The Tree Council said, “We’re delighted that our work supporting hedgerows will continue to blossom for the next three years. It’s more important than ever that we take action to ensure that our hedgerows thrive and that we nurture the next generation of hedgerow guardians. There’s a whole world of exciting nature-based careers that people don’t know about – we hope to inspire people to explore them. Hedgerows are carbon-guzzling, wildlife-sheltering wonders and they are fundamental to creating a greener, healthier future for all of us and for our planet.”

The Trees Call to Action Fund supports projects which protect trees and woodlands, boost forestry skills and jobs, develop woodland creation partnerships, and engage communities with nature. The fund has distributed grants between £250,000-500,000 to be spent over three years, funding 12 projects across England.

Other projects funded through this year’s Trees Call to Action Fund include six new Woodland Creation Partnerships across rural and urban areas; two projects to develop the skills and workforce of the trees and forestry sector; and projects which engage people, by planting an NHS forest and by engaging farmers to improve woodland condition. All projects will support progress towards achieving the key objectives of the England Trees Action Plan – the Government’s long-term plan for England’s trees, woodlands and forests.