Leicestershire tree giveaway

Tree packs are aimed at the creation of new woodland copses or the re-establishment of boundary trees that have been lost. The tree packs contain 50 trees and, if being planted as a copse, will need an area about the size of a tennis court. Alternatively, they can be planted as individual standards along existing hedgerows and boundaries.

The hedge packs contain enough plants for 50m of hedgerow and are aimed at re-establishing habitat links with existing woodland and hedgerows.

We recommend planting your tree packs:

In existing hedgerows as standards. Plant every 10-20m on the south or sunnier side of the hedge. Hedgerow trees are typical of the landscape and provide vital habitat for farmland wildlife. Many of these trees have been lost over the past 100 years.

In field corners/edges as clusters of trees. Plant saplings 1.5-2.5m apart.

As copses, or small wooded/scrub areas. Plant saplings 1.5-2.5m apart.

We recommend planting your hedge packs:

Along boundaries where there are no existing hedgerows, or large gaps to be filled, that will help create new habitat links with existing woodland and hedgerows in the local landscape.

Please check the suitability of your planting sites on MAGIC maps before applying for a tree or hedge pack. You can add layers to the map, including peat soils and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), so you can see where and where not to plant. If your site is a County Wildlife Site, has any other designations, or you’re not sure where to plant, please get in touch with us at treegiveaway@woodlandtrust.org.uk to discuss site suitability.

All our tree packs come with free tree protection. We strongly recommend 1.2m tree tubes to protect your trees from deer and other browsing herbivores. Tree tubes will need to be removed and reused or recycled after seven to 10 years.

• 1.2m tubes and stakes – recommended.
• 60cm tubes and bamboo canes – minimal browsing from deer but potential damage from small mammals.
• No tree protection – only select this option if you already have tree stakes and guards, or are planning to plant your tree packs in an already fenced area.

Plastic is a problem. It doesn’t biodegrade and it's not environmentally friendly. Yet it's often turned to for its longevity and effectiveness when it comes to protecting young trees from damage, and plastic tree guards have now become the norm.

There are now a range of plastic-free tree guard alternatives on the market and we are working towards using these in our offers. However, they can be costly, and we want to make sure they are as effective as possible before offering them.

So we’re trialling a range of plastic-free guards. If you're interested in testing some plastic-free guards with your tree pack this year, please indicate on the form and we will be in touch if we can offer you a suitable alternative. You will need to be willing to send us your feedback and photos to measure their effectiveness.

If you no longer want your tree packs, please email treegiveaway@woodlandtrust.org.uk to cancel your order.

We can’t amend any details once an application has been submitted. If you want to alter your choice of tree pack, collection date or venue, you will need to cancel your order and submit a new application. 

You can order up to two tree packs and one hedge pack per land holding. 

The trees are provided as small ‘whips’ so you will not require a trailer to collect your trees. If you have requested tree protection, the tubes and stakes are approximately 1.3m long so you may need a big car, van or trailer to transport them.

We are unable to offer delivery, but you are welcome to see if a friend or neighbour is able to collect the tree packs on your behalf instead. You will need to give them your order reference number to show to staff at the event. If you are unable to organise this, please email us at treegiveaway@woodlandtrust.org.uk to cancel the order.

Your trees are only available for collection on the specified day and time, and we are unable to keep them for collection at a later date.

You can, but make sure you have their order reference number too so we can identify their packs.

All uncollected trees will be allocated to an alternative Woodland Trust project as unfortunately we do not have the resources to arrange alternative pickups for applicants. Please rest assured the trees have not been wasted.

Please refer to your most recent email – this should contain the address as well as a what.three.words code and Google maps link. If you are unable to find this email, please call our support team on 0330 333 3300.