Thousands of trees planted in Chelmsford to give nature Space to Thrive

Over 7,000 trees have been planted in the district since November as part of Chelmsford City Council’s ongoing greening programme.

Trees and woodlands are more than just a backdrop to our parks and streets – they play a vital role in creating thriving ecosystems that benefit wildlife and people. 

Known to improve the quality of our local environment, trees help clean the air by absorbing pollutants, cool the air through transpiration and lock away carbon to mitigate the effects of climate change. Their roots stabilise soil and reduce flooding, while their leaf canopies and branches provide shelter and food for a wide range of insect, bird and animal species, helping to boost local biodiversity.

That’s why in 2019 Chelmsford City Council made tree planting a key part of its Climate and Ecological Emergency Action Plan. The greening programme is designed to significantly increase the amount of woodland habitat and proportion of tree cover in Chelmsford, and aims to plant one tree for every resident and at least three new trees for every new home built.

Since the programme began more than 85,800 trees have been planted, and thousands more will take root during the current winter tree planting season with the help of volunteers, schools, and local businesses. 

Volunteers help to boost tree planting across the district

During November, over 100 volunteers from corporate groups helped to plant hundreds of trees across the district.

Oak, Wild Cherry, Hazel and Scots Pine were among the 17 native species of tree being planted, each carefully selected to ensure a mix of tree growth speeds and heights to help support more robust and resilient habitats. Trees like the Downey Birch and Alder were also included in the mix for their soil improving properties, helping other plant life to flourish.

The newly planted trees will be cared for over the next two years by a dedicated team of volunteers. They will check the sites regularly to remove any vegetation directly around each tree and put down wood chips to retain moisture as the young trees establish.  

Having joined a recent tree planting session with her colleagues, Lucy from Giant Group spoke about the benefits of corporate volunteering: 

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“It was such fun to spend the morning connecting with nature - our team left having a greater understanding of environmental stewardship, fostered connections with other local businesses and thoroughly looking forward to joining future local events.”

Lucy, corporate tree planting volunteer

Swapping a day in the office for the great outdoors, a group of corporate volunteers help plant trees in Chelmsford.

You can find out more about the volunteer project programme on the Love Your Chelmsford website. 

Creating a community orchard in South Woodham Ferrers

This year, work has continued to transform a piece of land at Saltcoats Park in South Woodham Ferrers into a community orchard. With the aim of creating a vibrant new wildlife habitat and a welcoming community space, the orchard has been carefully planned so that it can become a place the whole neighbourhood can use and enjoy.  

Parks conservation volunteers helped to prepare the ground and plant 20 traditional apple trees, consisting of four apple varieties including the Bramley cooking apple and the Discovery dessert apple. The trees were chosen for their different fruiting times, so there’ll be fruit to pick in the orchard from August through to November each year.

Local school children also visited the site to plant wildflower plugs to encourage the growth of a native wildflower meadow. As the orchard continues to grow and thrive, the children will be able to return for educational visits to understand more about the lifecycle of plants, the seasons and how they can support nature in their local area.  

You can follow the development of the community orchard and the work of the volunteers over on the Love Your Chelmsford Facebook page. 

The wildflower meadow is flourishing at the community orchard.

Giving residents the opportunity to grow their own trees

This autumn, the council’s popular tree giveaway returned for its third year, offering Chelmsford residents the chance to claim one of 1,200 free trees.

The aim of the tree giveaway is to give residents the opportunity to increase the greenery in their gardens or outside spaces. Although the trees will be small when initially planted, they will become part of a bigger network of biodiversity and help create wildlife corridors which allow pollinators to move safely across the district.

This year there were four different tree species to choose from: Wayfaring Tree, Silver Birch, Crab Apple, and Whitebeam.

Residents collected their trees from locations in Chelmsford and South Woodham Ferrers during National Tree Week. Members of the parks team were on hand of offer expert advice on how to help the little tree whips to thrive in their new homes.

Celebrating the success of the tree giveaway, Councillor Rose Moore, Cabinet Member for a Greener Chelmsford said:

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“A heartfelt thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s Tree Giveaway! Each tree planted is more than a gift for today – it's a promise for tomorrow. Together, we’re creating wildlife corridors, boosting biodiversity, and shaping a greener Chelmsford for generations to come. As guardians of the planet we share, these small acts of care add up to something extraordinary and transformational. Please share your tree stories and photos with us via the Love Your Chelmsford website – we’d love to celebrate their contribution to your space year on year, whether that’s a garden, woodland belt or balcony!"

Cllr Rose Moore, Cabinet Member for a Greener Chelmsford

Cllr Moore helped hand out over 1,200 tree whips to local residents.

Volunteer with Love Your Chelmsford

Want to help nature to thrive in Chelmsford? Why not join the Love Your Chelmsford volunteer team. There are a variety of interesting projects to get involved with from helping to manage habitats or surveying wildlife, to volunteering in formal gardens or helping to plant trees.

Find out more about volunteering opportunities on the Love Your Chelmsford website.