Burghley House to be first Platinum Jubilee 70-acre wood
Senior PR officer
A 16th century Elizabethan mansion is the fitting location for the Woodland Trust’s first confirmed 70-acre wood in celebration of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Burghley House in Stamford, Lincolnshire was built by William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, between 1555 and 1587 and its famous grounds will now see a new woodland planted to mark Elizabeth II’s historic jubilee year in 2022.
The Woodland Trust, the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, is calling on landowners to help mark Her Majesty’s 70-year reign as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) – a unique tree-planting initiative which is inviting people from across the UK to ‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee’.
Establishing up to 70 Platinum Jubilee Woods supports the Trust’s long-term mass-scale woodland creation aims and will help fight the climate and nature crisis.
Dr Darren Moorcroft, chief executive of the Woodland Trust, described the partnership with the QGC as the “ideal way to celebrate Her Majesty’s 70 years of service”.
“We are thrilled that such a prestigious venue as Burghley House has chosen to spearhead the celebration,” he added. “We want this to encourage other landowners to come forward and get involved in this exciting and ambitious initiative.
“The first of our wonderful new woods will not only be a fantastic living and growing legacy for Her Majesty, but will also help fight the climate and nature crisis by locking up carbon and creating essential new wildlife habitats.
“These young woods and trees will join millions of others planted by the Woodland Trust which are already working tirelessly for people and nature.”
The QGC is encouraging everyone to play their part to enhance our environment by planting trees until the end of the official planting season in March, and then again from October through to the end of the Jubilee year.
QGC chief executive Dan Rex said: “The establishment of up to 70 Platinum Jubilee Woods will be an exceptional contribution to The Queen’s Green Canopy, and it is entirely fitting that the first wood will be planted at Burghley House, with its historic royal connections.
“Building on the Diamond Jubilee, the 70 Platinum Woods combine to form a truly wonderful legacy for the nation, demonstrating the capability and commitment of our founding partners, The Woodland Trust.”
Burghley House, which has hosted the famous horse trials since 1961, is set in a 300-acre deer park landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown.
Burghley’s latest woodland will add to the 60-acre Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Wood created with the Woodland Trust in 2012, which saw HRH The Princess Royal plant the first sapling.
The estate’s Platinum Jubilee Wood will bring a range of benefits, from boosting biodiversity to increasing the resilience of the landscape.
Burghley Estate head forester Peter Glassey said it was a privilege to repeat the successful collaboration with the Woodland Trust from a decade ago: “I love planting trees and The Queen’s Green Canopy is a wonderful vehicle to provide a lasting legacy of Her Majesty’s reign.
“But it is also a recognition of the importance trees and woodlands play in trying to address many of the issues affecting the UK and the world.
“We wish to plant more woodland to help mitigate the loss of our existing woods and plant with a more resilient species mix which will grow and fill the landscape for the next 200 years.”
Miranda Rock, Burghley executive chair, said: “It is a great honour for Burghley to be a part of this exciting and important initiative. Commemorating this historic moment in a way that will positively impact our community, landscape and wildlife is an opportunity we simply couldn’t miss.
“We are especially proud to be the first to announce the planting of a jubilee woodland, it is a marvellous legacy project which will celebrate the supreme dedication of our Queen to her country during her long reign.”
The Woodland Trust is a leading delivery partner of The Queen's Green Canopy. Schools and community groups are able to apply for up to three million free saplings in tree packs, through the Free Trees for Schools and Communities scheme.
If you would like to get involved in the Woodland Trust’s Platinum Jubilee Woods initiative, you can contact us to find out more by emailing qgcwoods@woodlandtrust.org.uk. Please send a brief description of the planned wood along with the location and a map.
Notes to editors
For more information please contact the Woodland Trust press office on 01476 602993, or email media@woodlandtrust.org.uk or owenphillips@woodlandtrust.org.uk
For more information on Burghley House please contact the press office on 07521 054182, or email jen.hattam@burghley.co.uk
For more information on The Queen’s Green Canopy contact Marnie Gaffney on 07793 266675, or email press@queensgreencanopy.org
The Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK with more than 500,000 supporters. It wants to see a UK rich in native woods and trees for people and wildlife.
The Trust has three key aims:
- protect ancient woodland, which is rare, unique and irreplaceable
- restoration of damaged ancient woodland, bringing precious pieces of our natural history back to life
- establish native trees and woods with the aim of creating resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 29,000 hectares. Access to its woods is free so everyone can benefit from woods and trees.
Free trees for schools and communities
The Woodland Trust is giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities to make sure everybody in the UK has the chance to plant a tree.
To apply, or see terms and conditions, visit: www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/schools-and-communities/
The free tree packs have been generously funded by lead partners: Sainsbury’s, OVO Energy, DFS, players of People’s Postcode Lottery, Joules, Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Bank and Sofology.
Platinum Jubilee Woods will be registered on the online Queen’s Green Canopy map and landowners can mark the site with a special QGC plaque. New plantings may also be eligible for the Trust’s woodland carbon scheme and associated financial support.
The Queen’s Green Canopy
The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 which invites people from across the UK to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”.
Everyone from individuals to Scout and Girlguiding groups, villages, cities, counties, schools and corporates will be encouraged to play their part to enhance our environment by planting trees during the official planting season between October and March. Tree planting will commence again in October 2022, through to the end of the Jubilee year.
With a focus on planting sustainably, the QGC will encourage tree planting to create a legacy in honour of The Queen’s leadership of the nation, which will benefit future generations. As well as inviting the planting of new trees, The Queen’s Green Canopy will dedicate a network of 70 ancient woodlands across the UK and identify 70 ancient trees to celebrate Her Majesty’s 70 years of service.
The Queen’s Green Canopy: queensgreencanopy.org
Burghley House
Burghley is one of the largest and grandest surviving houses of the sixteenth century and a magnificent example of the great Elizabethan ‘prodigy’ houses. Conceived by William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, between 1555 and 1587, Burghley is a testament to the ambition and vision of the most powerful courtier of the first Elizabethan age. Burghley House is set in a 300-acre deer park landscaped by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.
Land Rover Burghley Horse trials
With over 173,000 visitors over the four days, more than 600 carefully selected exhibitors, an average of 80 of the world’s top competitors and a prize fund of over £320,000, 21st century Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials is a far cry from the inaugural event, which took place in 1961 with just 19 competitors and in front of just 12,000 people.
Today the event has become one of the most popular and highly regarded within the equestrian and social calendars and ranks within the UK’s top ten national sporting occasions by attendance. Burghley House: www.burghley.co.uk