PEOPLE living in York are being offered a free tree.

To mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and support the city-wide tree canopy target, City of York Council are giving away free trees to residents on Wednesday, February 16.

Around 500 trees will be available, courtesy of the Woodland Trust. To manage demand, trees will be limited to one per household and residents will need to book time slots for collection in advance on the council’s website. Registration for free trees is open between February 2-14.

Click here to book your tree collection slot at one of three collection locations across the city at:

• Burnholme Explore Library 

• Rawcliffe Country Park

• Rowntree Park

Saplings will be small and suitable to be carried home in a small container or bag. Limited parking will be available but cannot be guaranteed.

Residents will be able to download information on how to plant and care for their new tree and agree to safe and sensible planting of the sapling. Tree species available are ‘Rowan’ and ‘Hazel’ which are easily maintained and perfect for a garden.

Cllr Keith Aspden, Leader of City of York Council said: “The tree giveaway is a brilliant opportunity for households, families and community groups to plant a tree for the jubilee and do their bit towards building a cleaner, greener York. Increasing our biodiversity and planting trees is a great way to support local wildlife and improve ‘carbon capture’ across the city, as trees absorb and store CO2 from our atmosphere.

“We have set a bold city-wide target to increase tree canopy cover in York from 10.3% to 13% by 2050. This target equates to approximately increasing York’s tree population by around 400,000 trees in total. We need residents to join with us and take action to increase York’s tree population and I hope this giveaway is a fun and inclusive way to take us in the right direction to become a net-zero carbon city by 2030.”

As a Queen’s Green Canopy champion city, York is joining cities and neighbourhoods across the United Kingdom in encouraging residents to ‘plant a tree for the jubilee’. The Queen’s Green Canopy is a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

You can mark your tree on the Queen’s Green Canopy interactive map and share a photo at @CityOfYork using #JubileeTree or email your photos in to yorkcommunitywoodland@york.gov.uk