“There is a magic machine that sucks carbon out of the air, costs very little and builds itself! It’s called… a tree”
-George Monbiot.
Why Grow Trees?
Trees are good for humanity, wildlife and the planet
One of the main recommendations of our Church Land and the Climate Crisis report is that churches and Christian landowners need to be growing more trees. Trees are some of our greatest allies in reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Trees act as a carbon sink and provide shade, cooling and habitats for wildlife. They also provide many benefits for people including flood defences, soil stabilisation and enhancing wellbeing. Read a quick summary of 10 Things the Church Needs to Know About Tree Growing.
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When to plant trees
Tree planting season in the UK runs from October to March, and planning and gaining agreement for tree growing takes some time. The Woodland Trust may take around 6 months to deliver in the next seasonal window, and applications for the English Woodland Creation Offer take 3-5 months to be approved. To plant trees by March 2025, applications need to be in by October at the latest.
Watch a case study partnership between the Diocese of Leeds and Woodland Trust
Inspiring case studies from St Lawrence's Church, Hungerford and Lee Abbey in Devon
Listen to Campaign Manager, Sharon Hall, on the importance of growing trees (UCB radio interview)
Practical advice on Growing Trees
There is a lot of helpful advice on growing trees from the Woodland Trust here. They also provide free trees for schools and community groups on land open to the public here.
Caring for God’s Acre produces a range of guides for local churches focusing on churchyard and burial ground management. They have 3 trees guides downloadable together here.
For larger landholders looking to plant more trees, we recommend checking out the WWF/Trillion Trees resource: ‘Tree growing for conservation and ecosystem restoration: A guide for faith-based actors’ here as well as the Woodland Trust schemes for landowners and farmers: here.
The Agroforestry Handbook gives a good introduction to this range of techniques.
Observatree have good information about tree health and useful citizen science approaches to pests and diseases.
Liturgical Resources
The Communion Forest have a wealth of resources here and examples of tree growing projects across the Anglican Communion. We particularly like their Tree Planting Liturgy and Prayers.
Hazelnut Community Farm also have a liturgy for planting a tree, shrub or flowers, particularly in memory of a loved one here.
An Aboriginal Thanksgiving Prayer including the mention of trees growing is available as part of some NATSICC liturgical resources here.
Revd Rich Clarkson has written a thoughtful poem about trees and prayer called Roots available here.
Plant a tree to celebrate Operation Noah's 20th Anniversary
Plant a tree for Operation Noah
One of the most positive things we can do for the climate is to grow more trees. These act as a carbon sink and provide shade, cooling and habitats for wildlife. This is why we’re asking supporters and churches to plant and look after a tree to celebrate our anniversary.
Find out more about our anniversary celebrations and download our tree planting flyer here.
