Bristol joins Trees for Streets
Bristol City Council is the latest local authority to join the Trees for Streets national street tree sponsorship scheme, which aims to plant thousands of additional trees in streets and parks across the city, by supplementing the council’s tree budgets through public and corporate sponsorship.
Trees for Streets is the National Street Tree Sponsorship Scheme from the urban tree charity Trees for Cities, funded by the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund and City Bridge Trust.
Sponsoring a tree is a powerful thing. It empowers people to make a difference to the world on their doorstep.
We’re a “Tech for Good” project that uses technology to empower people and makes it easy for residents and organisations to get involved in greening their communities.
An ambitious goal
Our mission is to fund the planting of more than 250,000 additional street trees nationwide over the next 10 years, by hosting online tree sponsorship schemes on behalf of local councils and delivering local promotion and engagement activity to bring these schemes to life.
a city where nature can thrive
Joining the Trees for Streets national scheme builds on existing work by Bristol City Council as it responds to the climate and ecological emergencies. It’s one of the strategies the council is using to make the city greener, more liveable and a place where nature can thrive.
Councillor Ellie King, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities said:
“We have already planted over 70,000 trees since 2016, and we are delighted to be working together with Trees for Streets to make it easier for residents, organisations and businesses to support tree planting in our streets and parks across Bristol.
This year (2022) we are planting a new generation of 10,000 trees and you can help us. People can choose to sponsor a Street Tree in a certain location, suggest a location for a new tree or sponsor a Celebration Tree in one of our parks and green spaces.”
This new partnership is just one of many innovative strategies we’re using to help reduce air pollution, provide summer cooling, absorb carbon dioxide and bring us closer to nature, making Bristol an even better and more beautiful place to live.
Cllr Ellie King
Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities, Bristol City Council
Why are street trees important?
Street trees do so much for us:
- improve air quality by acting like natural filters
- capture carbon dioxide and produce oxygen
- absorb air pollution
- improve our health and wellbeing – both physically and mentally
- provide a home for wildlife
- protect us from flooding
- create shading and cooling – so important in towns and cities
- make the neighbourhoods where we live that bit nicer
Our online app makes it easy for anyone to sponsor a tree in their neighbourhood by making a request to their local council, empowering people to take an active role in greening their streets.
Choosing your spot
Bristol residents can choose from over 1,000 pre-approved locations, or request to have a tree planted in their own street. When a location is suggested, the council then checks the suitability of the chosen location, and makes arrangements to plant a tree the following winter: the best time to plant young trees to ensure they grow and thrive.
People can also sponsor Celebration Trees in one of Bristol’s parks and green spaces, where everyone can benefit.
Celebration Trees can be sponsored for all sorts of reasons: as a lasting and sustainable memorial to a loved one, to mark a special occasion, as a unique and meaningful gift, or just because you love trees and want to give something back to your community.
Trees for Streets enables people to make a difference to the world immediately on their doorstep, by working together with their local council.
It’s fantastic to have Bristol on board as our newest partner, and we hope to inspire and empower the local community to take a leading role in greening the streets of their city.
Simeon Linstead
Project Director,Trees for Streets
Be part of The Queen’s Green Canopy
This year, sponsors can also add their sponsored tree to the Queen’s Green Canopy, and dedicate it to Her Majesty for the Platinum Jubilee. This option is offered on the confirmation page of our app, just before you make your sponsorship donation. It’s really simple to do, and doesn’t cost anything extra.
We look forward to getting lots more trees planted across Bristol, but we need your help – get involved and make your street a better place to live.
