FREE trees have been handed out to farmers across the district.
The third round of the Free Trees for Farmers Scheme saw the tree packs handed out to landowners in a bid to improve habitats, boost biodiversity and support climate adaptation across agricultural land.
The scheme is now being run by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust with funding support of £35,000 from Stratford District Council.
The newly collected trees, supplied as hedge, woodland, and fruit tree packs will now be planted to support natural flood management, carbon sequestration, and ecological recovery across the district. Farmers were offered anything from small mixed-species packs to hundreds of saplings, enabling them to choose the best fit for their land.
SDC’s leader Coun Susan Juned said: “We’re delighted to continue supporting this initiative, which brings real environmental benefits while helping farmers future-proof their land. Partnering with the Wildlife Trust ensures expert delivery and long-term impact for our local ecosystems.”
This round of the Free Trees for Farmers Scheme is part of a wider £55,000 package approved by SDC’s Cabinet in June last year to support nature recovery, which also included £20,000 for the Wilder Communities Project, a Wildlife Trust-led initiative planting hedges and wildflowers in community green spaces across the district.
This year’s distribution follows two highly successful earlier rounds with 8,000 trees distributed to 38 farmers in round one through the Warwickshire Rural Hub (a partnership funded by SDC, Warwick District Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council) supported by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, and the Trees Call to Action Project, to any farm located within the boundary of the three local authority areas and 13,000 trees distributed across the district during round two.
