The Tree Council is pleased to reopen our Branching Out small grants fund to support a new season of community tree planting. Over the past 20 years, we have supported community groups, volunteer Tree Wardens and many others to plant hundreds of thousands of trees across the UK, thanks to generous Tree Partners and other supporters.
During the 2024/25 season, 90+ projects flourished, with 4,019 trees and approximately 3.5 km of hedgerow bringing nature back into urban and rural spaces.
(c) Jason @a_great_alternative
Every initiative has played a vital role in creating a greener future through tree planting, but some have stood out for their innovative and meaningful approaches—whether by establishing edible tree rows to support sustainable food sources, transforming prison gardens into restorative spaces, or repurposing former waste sites into thriving woodlands.
Branching Out is designed for community groups, schools, not-for-profits, residents associations, Tree Warden Networks, charities and many more. Grants of between £250 and £2,500 are available per application.
Thanks to Branching Out, communities like ‘Greetham Goes Wild’ in Rutland, was able to establish 121 metres of new hedge whips in the 2023/24 planting season, to reinstate an old hedgerow on a much-loved local site of special scientific interest.
“My family and I were thrilled to join many fellow residents on a wet and active morning to replant a historic hedge for our village. The footpaths near the hedge get lots of traffic and we all look forward to seeing it develop!”- Greetham Goes Wild volunteer
During the 2024/25 planting season, Branching Out supported Wild Tiverton’s first phase of a 3-year planting project. The project will see the group transform nine acres of agricultural land to create a wildlife recovery zone in the heart of the Exe Valley.
“It’s scary hearing about how wildlife is being wiped out all over the world, but it makes me feel better that we’re helping a little bit here in Tiverton” – Eva, volunteer, aged 12
To find out more about The Tree Council’s grants programme, and to progress your application, please visit www.treecouncil.org.uk/grants-and-guidance/our-grants/
