More than 300k trees planted in Hertfordshire since 2019, says county council

More than 300,000 trees have been planted across Hertfordshire since the county council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019.

Hertfordshire County Council has an ambition to support the planting of 1.2million new trees – and 100km of hedgerow – in the county by 2030.

And on Wednesday (March 6) councillors heard that, so far, the authority had planted – or enabled the planting of – nearly 325,000 trees.

At the meeting of the council’s environment cabinet panel, councillors heard these could be trees where the council had been involved in their funding, delivery, advice or consultation..

It was reported to councillors that almost 111,200 trees had been recorded as being planted as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project, created to mark the Platinum Jubilee.

And they heard that two new woodland creation project officers had initiated or administrated 30 projects in the past year, in collaboration with internal and external partners.

These, it was reported, has already resulted in the planting of more than 113,600 trees and more than 4.25km of hedgerows.

It is said to have included 600 broadleaf trees as part of the ‘100 Aker Wood’ attraction at Aldenham Country Park, as well as 1.6km of hedgerow in Abbots Langley and 150m of hedgerow at Cunningham Hill Open Space, in St Albans.

Meanwhile 75,200 trees were given away to residents, organisations and community groups across the county as part of the Your Tree, Our Future scheme.

And that’s in addition to the 46,900 trees distributed by the scheme in the previous year (2022).

In 2024 and 2025, councillors were told there were plans for the county council to fund a further 30,000 a year through the scheme.

Also highlighted to councillors was the ongoing work in Broxbourne ad Bancroft Woods to deliver long-term habitat restoration programmes.

And it was reported that thousands of trees had been planted alongside highways across the county council’s own 4500HA rural estate, which includes farmland and Green Belt.

At the meeting Liberal Democrat Cllr Paul Zukowskyj pointed to the trees handed out as part of the Your Tree Our Future initiative.

He highlighted the small size of the trees – which he said had been grown for two years or less and consisted of a single developing ‘trunk’.

And he asked whether the council were evaluating how many had survived over the past two years.

Head of Countryside Rights of Way Tony Bradford said the scheme had been designed to get a large numbers of trees in the ground – with the best possible chance of trees becoming established.

He said the trees were sourced from a very good quality nursery and that research from the Forestry Commission suggested small trees offered the best opportunity to establish with minimum maintenance.

He also stressed that recipients of the trees – which can be residents or organisations – are given printed material to help them, as well as access to web-based material and a YouTube demonstration.

Meanwhile biodiversity programme manager Jeremy Clarke told councillors that there had been a survey after the first year which had indicated an “extraordinarily high” survival rate.

Nationally the government has set out a aspiration to increase woodland cover in England to 12 per cent by 2030.