Right tree right place

It's not as simple as planting trees in any space available. Planting the right species in the right place creates a positive impact.

For example, to create great nature corridors it is usually best to plant native trees. You should avoid planting on peat as it releases stored carbon into the atmosphere.

For considerations on how to plant the right tree in the right place:

Targeted planting - where trees are now

Knowing the location and height of existing trees helps us target new planting. It tells us where there are gaps and lack of spatial diversity. It can also help us connect habitats together.

Our interactive tree and hedge explorer map shows where there are trees and hedges in your area. You can see if there is good coverage or lots of gaps that you could fill in.

Targeted planting - where trees were

The historic locations of trees and hedges give us an idea of where we could reinstate them.

To find this out, we use historic maps and aerial photography. This shows us where trees, hedges and other lost landscape features (like ponds) were. The maps and photography are on our interactive tree and hedge explorer map. Use the right-hand layer list to explore.

New trees and climate change

The Forestry Commission has created a climate mapping tool to factor in climate change when designing large schemes.

UK Forestry Standard

Woodland planting should meet the UK Forestry Standard. We will ensure this is the case for relevant schemes.