Our ambition is to ensure towns and cities have healthy, diverse urban forests benefitting more people, because more local communities are involved.
Go straight to the 10 step guide
The connection between people and trees is deep rooted. We share a history and a co-dependence that has evolved over thousands of years into the mutually beneficial relationship we see in our towns and cities today. But the time is now if we want to evolve to the next stage where our urban forests aren’t just bigger, but more equitable too.
That’s where you can play an active role. Together we can create more resilient places to live by getting local authorities, environmental organisations and community volunteers meaningfully engaged and working side by side.
This ‘Involving’ toolbox is your guide to cultivating strong community collaborations for the benefit of trees and people.
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Quick links to this page
Why local authorities and the third sector need each other
What a healthy urban forest ecosystem looks like
The time to start is now - your 10 step guide to involving local communities
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Our urban forests provide social, economic and environmental benefits that measurably improve the way we all live.
Trees have positive effects on our short-term and long-term physical health and mental wellbeing. These include improving fitness, heart rate, blood pressure, anxiety levels and overall life expectancy. They also give us green places to walk, run and cycle, encouraging us to play, create and learn, and help us feel more connected with nature.
Trees can support businesses in very real ways. For example, research by the University of Washington shows that the presence of large trees in shopping centres encouraged shoppers to stay longer and spend more on goods and services. By creating more attractive environments for businesses, we can not only encourage local investment, but start harnessing the opportunities that lie in green industries and jobs.
Trees also keep our towns and cities cool, store carbon, reduce air pollution, help prevent flooding and quieten noise, as well as providing natural homes and food for our much-valued wildlife. A recent study published by Forest Research and DEFRA reveals that the annual value of services provided by non-woodland trees is £3.8 billion.
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Where does tree equity fit in?
Everyone should have the right to enjoy the benefits of urban trees. But the reality is that there are glaring inequalities in urban tree cover in most towns and cities today. That’s where Tree Equity Score UK can help.
This new free-to-use tool highlights these inequities to help us prioritise where to invest our time and resources, to expand and care for urban forests in a way that equitably spreads the benefits. It shows where trees are most needed, providing a roadmap for consultation with communities to establish where trees are most wanted.
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