Campaigns news

Come to the Westminster mass lobby, costs covered!  

3 July 2025 

On 9 July, thousands of people will come together in Westminster to talk face to face with their MPs in what's known as a mass lobby. On this year's theme of Act Now, Change Forever, we’ll all be asking our MPs to display real climate leadership immediately. 

It's intended to be the most impactful lobby ever for people, climate and nature, and you can be part of it. The Climate Coalition (TCC) is running the event and has worked hard to make the day accessible and inclusive for everyone, including those with childcare, carer, and access costs. That's why it has created a travel fund that it really wants people to use! There’s also plenty of training and support available ahead of the lobby. 

Register to take part, noting any accessibility requirements, or find more information about the travel fund.  

Help rescue our Forgotten Forests

27 June 2025

To prevent the single biggest potential loss of ancient woodland in the history of the Woodland Trust, we’ve launched a new campaign: Forgotten Forests.

After the Second World War, almost of half our ancient woodlands were felled and converted to timber plantations to help rebuild Britain. Although they were needed at the time, these vast plantations did major damage to our ancient woodlands. They're now known as Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS), with the remains of the ancient woodland ecosystem laying hidden beneath the fast-growing timber crops. These are our Forgotten Forests.

Most of these plantations are due to be harvested and without intervention, many will be replanted with another timber crop. This could kill the vital remains of the ancient woodland, meaning restoring them would be much harder - and in some cases impossible. We have a golden opportunity to restore our Forgotten Forests to their former glory so we’re calling on the governments of England and Scotland to put plans in place to rescue them before it’s too late.

Join the call to restore our Forgotten Forests today.

Join the call for nature-rich rivers

23 June 2025

The UK’s rivers could be a network of nature-rich wildlife corridors, criss-crossing the country. But they’re not fit for purpose and aren’t prepared to face the changing climate. You can help us change that.

We’ve helped launch the Making Space for Water campaign, calling on UK Government to urgently support more nature-rich river corridors. This is essential to:

• restore wildlife
• protect communities
• increase water quality
• boost climate resilience.

To make this a reality, the Government must create and maintain re-wiggled watercourses and different riverside habitats, like riparian woodland. Taking action will support the entire river ecosystem and its vulnerable wildlife.

Please add your voice to the Making Space for Water petition.

Saved – again! Victory for Loch Lomond’s woods

18 June 2025

Controversial plans for a holiday resort in a Scottish National Park have been halted – again – thanks to people power in action.  

Last year, we celebrated a major campaigning victory when Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority unanimously rejected a planning application for ‘Lomond Banks’. The large holiday resort threatened at least 0.36 hectares of valuable long-established woodland. But this wasn’t the end of the story.  

Last month, a Scottish Government reporter investigating the developer’s appeal recommended that ministers overturn the rejection and permit the development to go ahead. So we stepped up again, writing an objection letter to First Minister John Swinney that was co-signed by 14 different organisations. At the same time, we asked you to email your objections to Planning Minister Ivan McKee.  

Together, alongside thousands of people who supported local campaigns against the development, we won! In an important intervention, the Scottish Government has u-turned, just as we insisted. Although the development may still go ahead, it’s been given a red light for now. We’ll be watching this case very carefully in future.

We couldn't have done this without your support - thank you.  

Celebrations for Coed Wern

10 June 2025 

After seven years of campaigning, a precious woodland in Wales has been successfully protected from development.  

Coed Wern-ty-gwyn is an important woodland in Glasinfryn, near Bangor. Since 2018, we have opposed proposals for holiday lodges across the site. Initial plans were for 40 lodges, directly threatening at least two hectares of habitat. This was later reduced to 25 lodges, but significant damage to the woodland would still have been unavoidable. In that time, part of Coed Wern was declassified as ancient woodland, but we maintained our objection to the potential damage of this valuable site.

Over 5,000 of you joined our campaign to save the wood and contacted Gwynedd Council to object. Thank you.

Despite the planning officer's recommendation to approve the developer’s application, the council's planning committee has now voted to refuse it. Whilst other factors contributed to the committee's decision, we welcome this commitment to protecting important woodland, regardless of designation. 

Saved! Southwark subsidence felling scrapped 

3 June 2025

Last month, Southwark Council refused an application to fell a magnificent London plane tree on the grounds of subsidence. The council cited insufficient evidence and it’s clear that our strong, evidence-based objection was a significant factor in the decision. 

Subsidence is the gradual sinking of an area of land and whatever is on top of it. It's a complex issue often tied up in legalities and insurance claims. Trees are sometimes blamed, often incorrectly, and felling is presented as essential. In this case, we had requested further investigation and recommended pollarding instead of removal. This proves the pivotal impact that our targeted, evidence-led opposition can have. 

This tree-triumph is particularly meaningful as the plane is likely more than a century old, protected by a tree preservation order and stands in a neighbourhood with just 7% tree canopy cover. Preserving existing mature trees is even more essential here in our efforts to make sure everyone has access to the benefits of trees where they live.  

Planning and Infrastructure Bill: help us defend nature

27 May 2025

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is a piece of governmental legislation which will significantly reform England’s planning system. If it goes ahead without amendments, vital environmental protections – including for our irreplaceable woods, trees, and wildlife – will be weakened.

The UK is already one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries, with 1 in 6 of our species at risk of extinction. Growth is important, but we can’t afford it to come at the cost of the essential natural world we all depend on.

We need cast iron commitments from Government that English planning law will protect and restore nature. Email your MP today and urge them to speak up for important habitats.

Whitewebbs oak inexplicably felled

16 April 2025

Last weekend, one of London’s greatest oaks was unexpectedly and inexplicably felled. Standing in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, with a girth of 6.1 metres, this was one of the capital’s largest trees, estimated to be over 450 years old. Only a stump remains. 

The loss of this oak is more ecologically significant than that of the Sycamore Gap tree. It also had immense heritage value, having stood nearby as Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators met at Whitewebbs House in 1605 to form the Gunpowder Plot.

Local residents, tree experts, and members of the public have expressed devastation and outrage at the destruction. They have been left asking why this oak was felled, without warning and without following due process. Toby Carvery, which leases the land from Enfield Council, has claimed that the tree was dead and posed significant health risk to staff and visitors. But the oak was in bud, clearly living, and was recently assessed by two certified arboriculturists who both found it to be in good health. Enfield Council was not consulted and is currently investigating options for legal action.

While an emergency Tree Protection Order has now been placed on the stump, the full magnificence of the tree is lost and it’s unlikely to meaningfully grow back. The need to better protect our oldest and most special trees has never been more urgent. Please sign our petition and join us in calling for increased legal protection for heritage trees.

Funding win for cutting-edge tree preservation

7 April 2025

Innovative preservation work could save the UK's largest London plane tree and its immense heritage thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).

Standing in the grounds of Kings Ely School, Cambridge, ‘The London Plane of Ely’ was gifted by Charles II to the Bishop of Ely in 1674, making it one of our oldest plane trees. Having developed a major crack in one of its main limbs, the tree faced an unsure future, so we've been helping the school in its ongoing efforts to preserve this special tree. We supported the NLHF bid too, and we're delighted at its success.

The grant will facilitate a four-year restoration plan, which is set to include a ‘morphophysiological study’. This unique analysis of the tree’s shape, structure and function will be led by Italian experts and has never been used in the UK before. Other innovations will include a laser scan of the plane’s geometry by engineers from the University of Cambridge.

Importantly, such pioneering work aims not only to save this one lucky London plane, but to help better preserve trees across the UK in the future.

Tree-ific Tree Equity Art

21 March 2025

Our annual Igniting Innovation Conservation Challenge invites young people from across the country to share their brightest ideas for a healthier planet. With funding and expert mentorship available for the winners, it’s a wonderful opportunity to add new voices to the conservation sector and bring some excellent projects to life.

One of this year’s winners is Nature over Natter – a youth-lead UK wide social media campaign, designed to empower everyone to take climate action. The winning proposal was to train, fund and platform different young adult artists to complete commissions from conservation groups. These commissions aimed to combat climate-doomism by using art to demonstrate what climate solutions and nature recovery might look like.

Over the last year, Nigel Pugh, our campaigns lead for Wales, has been mentoring Nature over Natter and artist Lauren Elizabeth (‘shrubsyart’), helping them to imagine what equal levels of tree cover could mean for nature and communities. Check out the artwork and the heartening comments alongside it.

Welcome reprieve for Betty Beech

14 March 2025

Since 2022, we’ve supported the campaign to save Betty Beech, a beloved veteran beech threatened by Ripon Cathedral’s plans to expand its facilities.  

Originally, the planning application proposed felling Betty and 11 other mature trees which are all vital to the city’s wildlife. Following a brilliant local campaign and sustained public outcry, the plans were changed to retain Betty Beech, but failed to provide a suitable root protection area. This would still have resulted in the tree’s gradual deterioration and ultimately, likely proved fatal. 

Now the planning application has been withdrawn! Currently, we’re unsure of the reason so we’ll be keeping a keen eye on further developments and hope to be consulted on any new plans. But as things stand, all the trees and the treasured urban park they stand on are safe. This is a wonderful testament to the power of local campaigns! 

Help nature where you live

6 March 2025

We know nature is in trouble. Nearly one in six species in Great Britain is at risk of extinction, and 151 species have already been lost.

Every day, we work to help create a world where nature and people can thrive. But everyone needs to do their bit to make this a reality. This is particularly true of local councils which are nature’s first line of defence and pivotal in changing its trajectory.

Our Nature Emergency Scorecard campaign calls on UK councils to:

• declare a nature emergency to acknowledge the scale of the problem and prompt further action
• create an evidenced-based action plan for nature recovery
• embed nature recovery in council strategy and decision-making processes
• commit to ‘30 by 30’ - protecting and managing 30% of council land for nature by 2030. 

Please encourage your local authority to take action on the nature emergency. Use our template to contact them today.

Celebrations at popular parliamentary reception

28 February 2025

On 28 January, we hosted our annual parliamentary reception in Westminster. The theme was ‘New Voices, Greener Choices’, as this was a chance to establish and continue building positive relationships with many recently elected MPs. We heard from a range of speakers:

• Nature Access Minister, Baroness Hayman
• our chair, Lord Tony Hall
• Alex Mayer, chair of our Woods and Trees All-Party Parliamentary Group
• Chris Turner from our corporate partner, Lloyds Banking Group
• Charlie Knowles from our youth council.

The event was a fantastic celebration of the importance of woods, trees and nature. With 32 parliamentarians, attendance was high for this type of event, demonstrating the significant cross-party support for our work in these political spaces. Several corporate partners and allies also joined us in celebrating our achievements over the last 12 months and to learn more about our aims for 2025.

Vote for your European Tree of the Year 2025

17 February 2025

The European Tree of the Year competition pits Europe’s best trees against one another in an annual effort to choose the continent’s most impressive specimen. After taking the UK Tree of the Year 2024 title, this year’s UK entrant is the Skipinnish Oak.

This majestic ancient oak stands in an airy clearing amid a dark timber plantation in the heart of Lochaber, Scotland. Impressive in stature and history, it's one of the largest oaks in the region, a crucial part of the ecosystem and a local treasure.

By telling the stories of remarkable trees like this, these competitions remind the world that they are something worth celebrating and cherishing, something to be proud of. It’s also a bit of fun!

The Skipinnish Oak is competing against 14 other trees that have won national contests and only one can be crowned European Tree of the Year 2025. Vote for your favourite by 24 February.

Bramleys need protection from busways

13 February 2025

The Cambourne to Cambridge Busway is a proposal to build an off-road bus link between the city and outlying developments. In its current form, the busway would cut through green belt land and decimate Coton Orchard. This traditional working orchard is a vital biodiversity hotspot and beloved green space in the UK’s most nature-depleted county.

Designated as a traditional orchard on the Priority Habitat Inventory and as a County Wildlife Site, Coton Orchard has been protected from intensive agriculture for over a century, but the busway now threatens to plough right through it. Hundreds of fruit trees would be lost, including three veteran Bramley apple trees which date from the orchard’s establishment in the 1920s.

We support low-carbon transport options in principle, but no scheme of such pronounced and avoidable environmental damage can be considered sustainable. We’ve submitted an objection to the Department for Transport. We’ll keep supporting local campaigning efforts too, which are pushing the project to find a less damaging route or alternative solution that doesn't result in the loss of irreplaceable habitat.

Groundbreaking buffers to protect ancient woods

7 February 2025

With increasing development pressure, securing the right buffers for ancient woodland has never been more important. These areas of land are key to separating ancient woods from development and helping protect them from root damage, pollution and other threats.

Legally, the minimum buffer is just 15m. We recommend 50m, but in practice this is rarely seen. Developers often interpret 15m as 'the standard’ rather than ‘the minimum’, leaving many ancient woodlands vulnerable.

But this is starting to change. Back in 2021, Aylesbury Vale Council (now Buckinghamshire Unitary Council) adopted a local plan requiring a 50m buffer from development for all ancient woodland. Isle of Wight Council has also proposed 50m buffers, and now Lewes District Council is consulting on a plan with the same requirement. These groundbreaking local plans set the rules for future developments in their area and are a welcome step-change in protecting ancient woodland.

If you live in or around Lewes, please take part in the planning questionnaire by 28 February. You can answer as many or as few questions as you like - question 50 on policy NE4 (within ‘Theme: Natural Environment’) is the key place to express your support for 50m buffers for our precious ancient woodland. Want to know more? Read our advice on considering trees in neighbourhood plans.

Scottish budget successes

27 January 2025

Last month, the Scottish Government introduced its draft 2025-26 Budget in the Scottish Parliament. This is the first Scottish Budget under current government leadership, so with our supporters' help, Woodland Trust Scotland worked especially hard to secure financial wins for Scotland's trees and nature.

Following our campaigns, we were delighted that funding for the Forestry Grant Scheme was increased by £7.6 million (+16.8%), with an extra £5 million specifically for temperate rainforest restoration. These are major achievements which will make a lot of vital work possible over the next year. A huge thank you to everyone who supported these campaigns – this is an outcome to be proud of.

Northern Ireland Tree Protection Bill consultation open

15 January 2025

Last summer, Peter McReynolds MLA submitted proposals for a Tree Protection Bill at the Northern Ireland Assembly. These proposals have been supported by experts from Woodland Trust Northern Ireland. Inspired by our Living Legends campaign which calls for nationwide legal protection for our oldest and most special trees, the proposals are highly impactful and cover multiple aspects of tree and woodland preservation.  

If successfully passed into law, the proposed bill would represent major progress for nature and trees in one of the least wooded areas in Europe.  

The public consultation on these landmark proposals is now open. Sharing your opinion ensures these proposals are effective, achieve their intended goals, and address potential gaps. It also highlights public support, increasing the likelihood of the proposals becoming law. If successful, this would set a precedent which encourages the other UK nations to make similar progress. Please respond to the consultation by 6 March.