Rose Uniacke supported the planting of 7,200 climate resilient trees across the UK in 2021 - 2022.

Climate resilient treescapes for the future have been created across the UK thanks to support from Rose Uniacke. In partnership with GreenTheUK and the Royal Forestry Society, these trees have been planted in Nork Yorkshire, Pembrokeshire and Stirling. In this report, learn more about the plans for the individual sites and interesting facts about the species planted at each.

Thanks to the Rose Uniacke team, these trees will increase each woodland’s resilience to pests, diseases and/or climate change. The sites will transform into habitats where our local wildlife can flourish. Improving biodiversity and carbon sequestration are key benefits of this scheme.

Tree Species Planted:

2,000 trees planted in Pembrokeshire, Wales

This woodland in rural Pembrokeshire has previously been badly affected by storm damage and was at high risk of damage from pests and diseases. The area is being planted with lots of different trees to encourage wildlife and to provide resilience against the effects of climate change (including by planting storm resilient trees). Honeybees will also be kept in this woodland and so flowering tree species that will attract foraging bees have been specially chosen.

200 Trees Planted

Coast Redwood: Sequoia Sempervirens

Coast redwoods are amongst the oldest living things on Earth, with some dating back over 2,000 years. This giant of the forest can grow to over 100m tall with a trunk around 9m thick. Older coast redwoods are remarkably fire resistant because they have very thick bark which acts as a protective shell; an important quality in this tree’s native California, where forest fires are often a threat.

300 Trees Planted

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga Menziesii

Douglas fir was first introduced to the UK from North America in the 1800s. These fragrant evergreen members of the pine family can live for up to 1,000 years, but are often cut down for use as Christmas trees. Douglas fir timber has lots of commercial uses, including furniture, flooring and decking, for example.

300 Trees Planted

Japanese Red Cedar: Cryptomeria Japonica

The Japanese red cedar is a low-maintenance evergreen conifer that grows well in parks and gardens and thrives in moist, well-drained soil. It has distinctive red-brown bark which peels off in strips, and it can grow as tall as 70m. It is known as “Sugi” in Japan, where it is the national tree, but despite its name, it is not actually a true cedar; its closest relative is the giant sequoia.

200 Trees Planted

Norway Spruce: Picea Abies

This fast-growing evergreen conifer can live for as long as 1000 years and grows to a height of up to 40m. It has red-brown cones, which are the largest of any spruce tree. In 1848, Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert introduced the custom of decorating a Norway spruce for Christmas, and it has been a popular festive tree choice in the UK ever since.

200 Trees Planted

Serbian Spruce: Picea Omorika

The Serbian spruce is a medium-sized, slim, evergreen conifer which, as the name suggests, is native to small areas of the Balkans. This is a tree that can really withstand adverse conditions and tolerate pollution, making it a popular choice for planting as an ornamental addition to urban areas. Like its cousin, the Norway spruce, the Serbian spruce is often used as a Christmas tree.

200 Trees Planted

Sitka Spruce: Picea Sitchensis

Sitka is by far the largest species of spruce, growing to nearly 100m tall with a trunk up to 5m thick. This majestic tree is named after a city in southern Alaska but makes up around half of commercial plantation here in the UK. Sitka timber has all sorts of uses, including making boats and paper. It is also used in the manufacture of violins, guitars, pianos and harps, as it conducts sound well.

100 Trees Planted

Small-Leaved Lime: Tilia Cordata

Its heart-shaped leaves may be small, but this tree is large and sturdy, growing to around 20m tall. Lime wood is used to make piano keys, and its bark can be made into rope. During rationing in World War Two, people made an infusion from crushed lime leaves as a substitute for tea, which was tricky to get hold of.

100 Trees Planted

Sweet Chestnut: Castanea Sativa

The sweet chestnut tree is native to the Mediterranean and was first brought to Britain by the Romans, who used it in their cooking just as we do today. Sweet chestnuts grow in spiny capsules containing two or three nuts, which can then be removed and roasted. Indeed, anyone who has ever been to a Christmas market will recognise that scrumptious smell! The oldest chestnut tree in the world is over 2,000 years old and can be found five miles from Mount Etna in Sicily.

300 Trees Planted

Western Red Cedar: Thuja Plicata

The western red cedar’s strength is celebrated in Native American cultures, and it attracts and shelters many species of birds and insects. Its timber is extremely durable, making it a good source of building materials. If you take a bit of western red cedar foliage and crush it between your fingers, it gives off a sweet smell like pineapple.

100 Trees Planted

Wild Cherry: Prunus Avium

Stunning white cherry blossoms burst forth in April, heralding the arrival of spring and bringing joy to parks and gardens. Mature cherry trees can live for up to 60 years, and provide a great source of food for birds, bees, insects and small animals like badgers and mice. Our ancestors would boil wild cherries and make them into a syrup to treat a range of ailments including coughs and anaemia.

400 trees planted in North Yorkshire, England

In this innovative project in North Yorkshire the owners are converting a spruce plantation to a diverse mix of tree species to build in resilience against climate change, help protect against pests and diseases and improve the woodland for local wildlife.

11 Trees Planted

Alder: Alnus Glutinosa

Alder can be found across Europe and thrives in moist ground and damp cool areas, which is why you’ll often see alder trees planted near rivers and ponds. Moth caterpillars love alder leaves and the tree’s roots make an ideal nesting site for otters. For humans, the real value of alder wood is that it’s durable when wet, so is useful for making boats and sluice gates. The story goes that outlaws like Robin Hood would have used the green dye from alder flowers to camouflage their clothing!

2 Trees Planted

Coast Redwood: Sequoia Sempervirens

35 Trees Planted

Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga Menziesii

14 Trees Planted

Downy Birch: Betula Pubescens

The downy birch, or white birch, is a deciduous, broad-leafed tree which grows abundantly across the north of Europe and northern Asia. The outer bark can be stripped off without killing the tree, and its twigs and branches are flexible and make good brooms. The Sami people in Scandinavia use downy birch bark when making their traditional bread, while the tree’s sap can be collected in early spring and used to make a syrup or beer.

107 Trees Planted

English Oak: Quercus Robur

Also known as the common or English oak, this is the undisputed king of the woods, supporting more wildlife species than any other native tree in the UK. “Robur” in this oak’s Latin name means “strength” and “hard timber” because this tree produces incredibly durable wood which can be used to make many things, including furniture and flooring. The oak has been considered sacred by many gods in mythology throughout the ages.

3 Trees Planted

Giant Redwood: Sequoiadendron Giganteum

These majestic trees can live for over 3,000 years and are very resistant to pests and diseases because they have tannin in their bark. Their bark is also spongy which makes them fire resistant; in fact they need heat to reproduce, as it opens up their cones and helps their seeds to disperse. The largest giant redwood in the world is named “General Sherwood” and stands over 84m tall and 11m wide in the Sequoia National Park in California.

5 Trees Planted

Hazel: Corylus Avellana

The common hazel is native to Europe and western Asia and forms an important part of England’s hedgerows. We have all heard of hazelnuts, which are rich in unsaturated fats and protein, and an extremely popular ingredient in many of the world’s cuisines. Did you know that hazel trees were once seen as both magical and a symbol of fertility?

10 Trees Planted

Norway Spruce: Picea Abies

6 Trees Planted

Rowan: Sorbus Aucuparia

Also known as the mountain ash, rowan trees grow well at high altitudes and are commonly found in the Scottish Highlands, as well as on streets and in gardens across the UK. Many birds eat their scarlet berries in the autumn, then disperse the seeds. Rowan used to be planted next to homes to ward off the threat of witches, as red was once believed to guard against evil.

101 Trees Planted

Scots Pine: Pinus Sylvestris

The UK’s only truly native pine is Scotland’s national tree and can be found in abundance in the Highlands. The Caledonian Pine Forest is home to all sorts of wonderful species including the pine marten, red squirrel and rare Scottish wildcat. Scots pine has strong timber which is used for making fences, telegraph poles and other construction materials, and the bark can be tapped for resin to make turpentine.

12 Trees Planted

Silver Birch: Betula Pendula

The silver birch is an elegant, majestic-looking tree which can survive in a range of climates, making it a very popular choice for gardeners. It attracts hundreds of insect species, and woodpeckers like to nest in its rough, tough, silver-white trunk. There is a lot of mythology attached to the silver birch, which is said to symbolise purity, new beginnings and protection. Once upon a time, on Midsummer’s Eve, silver birch boughs were hung across the doors of houses to bring good luck to their residents.

87 Trees Planted

Sitka Spruce: Picea Sitchensis

3 Trees Planted

Small-Leaved Lime: Tilia Cordata

4 Trees Planted

Wild Cherry: Prunus Avium

4,800 trees planted in Stirling, Scotland

An existing mixed woodland rich in biodiversity (red squirrels, pine martins, otters etc.) is sensitively felling and thinning stands of overstocked oak planted 150 years ago as a plantation. Will be restocked with 60% oak, 20% beech and 20% hazel, holly and hawthorn. This mix of species will shift the management objectives towards prioritizing biodiversity over commercial felling and ensure a mix of understory species that will continue to create diverse habitats.

2,880 Trees Planted

English Oak: Quercus Robur

960 Trees Planted

Beech: Fagus Sylvatica

If the oak is the king of British trees, then the beech is its queen. A dense canopy of leaves provides a rich habitat for all sorts of insects, its seeds are popular with mice and squirrels, and hole-nesting birds make their homes in beech trunks. Some of the UK’s tallest native trees are beeches, including one that stands at over 44m tall on the National Trust’s Devil’s Dyke Estate in West Sussex.

320 Trees Planted

Hawthorn: Crataegus Monogyna

Hawthorn is very much associated with the month of May, and the appearance of its bright, white flowers heralds the change from spring to summer. It is prolific in hedgerows, scrub and woodland throughout the UK and Ireland, and a single tree can grow as tall as 10m. In pagan times, hawthorn was a symbol of marriage and fertility, but in the Middle Ages, it was never brought into homes, as people believed it was a harbinger of illness and death.

320 Trees Planted

Hazel: Corylus Avellana

320 Trees Planted

Holly: Ilex Aquifolium

Holly trees can live for up to 300 years, providing a warm and safe habitat for birds to nest in and hedgehogs and other small mammals to hibernate. This tree has long been associated with Christmas, and its spiky green leaves and bright red berries have been used as festive decorations during winter for centuries. Holly was traditionally thought to ward off evil spirits, and Harry Potter fans may remember that the boy wizard’s wand is made from holly!