Planting for the Future

Actionpoint Packaging supported the planting of 90 climate-resilient trees in a local school in 2023-2024

Project Overview

This report is about the Trees for Schools project where climate resilient trees have been planted in a local primary school thanks to support from Actionpoint. As well as planting in UK woodlands, Actionpoint has supporting further planting of climate resilient trees to create educational green spaces in 3 other schools. See the other projects they have supported here.

Every tree planting workshop with the Trees for Schools programme is bespoke and tailored to the needs of the school. We take into account the age of the children and the existing availability of green space for new trees. A pre-planting consultation with the school helps us to understand which species will best suit their plans for the site, map out the planting and plan how the trees will best be used as a resource for the school and community.

Through this project, young people were taught about the importance of trees to local wildlife and why we need to plant them to help protect our planet. The children learnt how to plant trees and then helped plant them with our Education Officer. As well as educating children about climate change and wildlife, this project helped create green learning spaces in schools and benefited children’s health and wellbeing by getting them outside and learning in a new environment.

Project Statistics

90

Trees Planted

60

Approx. Children Engaged

451

Children on School Roll

12.02%

County Woodland Cover

Testimonials

"Vice Principal: Hi Jemma, I just wanted to thank you for all of your hard work on Wednesday. The tree planting was a great success and the year 2 children and team thoroughly enjoyed their time. We really do appreciate all that you did. The trees look brilliant and we cannot wait to watch them grow. Thanks again. Jemma: The children worked hard together to dig and plant the trees. They also enjoyed finding minibeasts around the planting area and doing an activity about how the trees will provide food for whole food chains of animals."

Planting for the Next Generation

The Langley Park Primary Academy in Maidstone, Kent, teaches hundreds of young children from ages 3-11. With a thorough science class curriculum, the Academy encourages students to get involved in the environment around them, examining the natural world.

In March 2024, 90 trees were planted at the Langley Park Primary Academy to improve school grounds and provide a benefit to both biodiversity and the school children.

28 trees were planted to form an avenue (matching pairs) on their playing field, following the line of a fence between the football pitch and the forest school area. The avenue was planted to be 3 metres wide, with 4 metresbetween each tree pair. As the trees grow, they will provide a shady corridor during playtimes and whilst watching or taking a break from sports, as well as colour, structure and wildlife interest.
4 trees were planted in a single line on their playing field next to the forest school area to provide shade as well as colour, structure and wildlife interest.
58 trees and shrubs were planted across one side of the forest school area (leaving the opposite side more open) to provide a more woodland feel in their forest school area, and a wide variety of species to add interest and resources for play, and for wildlife.

The chosen trees are well suited to the soil in the area and are all native to the UK. Choosing a wide variety of species will increase the resilience of new tree planting to a changing climate.

Meet Our Education Officer

Jemma

Jemma has been a primary school teacher for 14 years and worked in environmental education for 6 years prior to that. She has a degree in Ecology and a lifelong interest in the natural world.

She says: “I love seeing children enthused about the living things they find when exploring outdoors. That sense of wonder and curiosity is magical! I firmly believe that encouraging widespread learning about the species and habitats we share the world with is vital to conserving them and managing them wisely. As an experienced teacher, I also know that learning outdoors benefits children directly, with great potential to boost interest, enjoyment and self-esteem.”

Tree Species Planted:

90 trees planted in Maidstone

15 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.

10 Trees Planted

Bird Cherry: Prunus Padus

Bird Cherry grows easily in the British climate and is often used in urban green landscaping. They have spikes of beautiful white flowers in the spring that can be a valuable nectar source for pollinating insects such as butterflies and bees. The bitter, dark black cherries are a favourite food for birds and small mammals in the summer months.

10 Trees Planted

Field Maple: Acer Campestre

This species is the UK’s only native maple and is often grown as an ornamental tree in large gardens and parks, as well as in woods and hedgerows. Its wood is white, hard and strong, and is popular for making furniture, flooring and musical instruments, especially harps. Field maple flowers are hermaphrodite, meaning each flower contains both male and female reproductive parts.

10 Trees Planted

Crab Apple: Malus sylvestris

Crab apple trees grow throughout Europe and can live for up to a century, reaching a height of around 10m. This tree is traditionally associated with love and marriage, and it is said that if you say the name of your lover while throwing crab apple pips into a fire, then your love is true if the seeds explode! Crab apples can be made into jelly, roasted and added to drinks, or served as an accompaniment to meat.

10 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.

10 Trees Planted

Dogwood: Cornus Alba

Dogwood thrives on the edges of damp woodlands and in hedgerows, so Britain’s wet climate really isn’t a problem for this fast-growing shrub. Mature dogwood trees can grow as high as 10m, with small blue-black fruits and little white flowers. It is one of the hardest woods there is, and was used to make crucifixes including - it is said - that of Jesus.

5 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.

5 Trees Planted

Aspen: Populus Tremula

This striking tree, also known as the “quaking aspen” has shimmering foliage and can grow to 25m tall. The Celts believed that when aspen leaves fluttered in the wind, the tree was communicating with spirits between this world and the next. Since the European Beaver was reintroduced into Scotland after centuries of extinction, aspen has been one of its favourite foods.

5 Trees Planted

Elder: Sambucus Nigra

Elder trees can be found growing all over the UK, often near rabbit warrens and the homes of other woodland creatures who spread the seeds through their droppings. Our ancestors in the Middle Ages believed that planting elder trees near their houses would ward off the Devil, and elder leaves were thrown into graves at funerals to protect the dead from evil spirits. Although poisonous when raw, elderberries can be cooked and made into syrup or jam, while elderflowers make the perfect refreshing summer cordial.

4 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.

4 Trees Planted

Guelder Rose: Viburnum Opulus

If you spot this deciduous shrub when you’re out and about, it probably means you’re passing through an ancient habitat. The guelder rose is one of the national symbols of Ukraine, where it is known as “kalyna” and represents fertility, youth and beauty. Guelder rose berries are an important source of food for birds, while hoverflies enjoy this plant’s flowers.

2 Trees Planted

Hornbeam: Carpinus Betulus

The hornbeam is extremely tough and keeps its leaves all year round, making it an attractive proposition for birds, insects and other animals. Hornbeam wood is very hard, in fact it is also known as “ironwood” and the Romans recognised its durability, using it to make their chariots. Nowadays, this timber is used for tool handles, coach wheels, parquet flooring and chess pieces!

Supported By:

Project Partner:

UN's Sustainable Development Goals

As a GreenTheUK partner, you support projects that are in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss.

Back to Project Timeline

Planting for the Future

Actionpoint Packaging supported the planting of 90 climate-resilient trees in a local school in 2023-2024

Project Overview

Project Statistics

90

Trees Planted

60

Approx. Children Engaged

451

Children on School Roll

12.02%

County Woodland Cover

Testimonials

Planting for the Next Generation

Meet Our Education Officer

Jemma

Tree Species Planted: