100,000 new trees for Hertfordshire this year

Hertfordshire will be greener and leafier than ever - after the new Lib Dem administration announced a big rise in the number of trees being planted. County council schemes will now provide at least 101,000 saplings in 2025/26. That’s a 10% rise on the previous year, when the county was run by the Conservatives.

Much of the increase will come from an expansion of Hertfordshire’s ‘Your tree, our future’ programme, which gives free trees to residents to plant in their gardens. These are distributed in early December, in partnership with district and borough councils. Professional guidance is available to help care for the tree as it grows.

The county council also provides new trees for highways verges, community orchards, local use by borough councillors, and landowners to create new woodland.

Cllr Paul Zukowskyj, cabinet member for environment at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “The new Liberal Democrat administration is determined to make Hertfordshire a better and greener place to live - and we’ve hit the ground running. “I’m thrilled we’ll plant 10,000 extra trees this year - a decision made barely weeks after taking office.

“Trees clean our air, lock up carbon, keep us cool in the summer, and enhance our landscapes. We need more trees in our county - and we’re delivering more. “These actions are just the start. We’ll continue to work hard to make Hertfordshire a place we can all be proud to call home.

For more detail on how to get your tree, search online for ‘Hertfordshire your tree our future’.