The Queen's Green Canopy

The Queen's Green Canopy (QGC) was an initiative that began in May 2021 in the United Kingdom in honour of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. To increase and protect the native tree cover, people were urged to create this 'special gift' for the Queen, to mark her 70 years on the throne.

Background
This initiative was led by Cool Earth in partnership with the UK Government and the Woodland Trust. Communities, charities, schools, scout groups, councils and landowners were invited to create a network of individual or specimen trees, tree avenues, copses and woodlands.

The campaign encouraged the planting of healthy native trees that would thrive, enhancing the environment and the landscape for generations to come. To help the environment and make local areas greener, people were urged to plant trees across the United Kingdom to create a lasting legacy in honour of the Queen's leadership.

Alongside this, 70 Ancient Trees and 70 Ancient Woodlands, including some trees more than 1,000 years old and many with links to historical events, were designated as part of the Canopy.

In a statement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "'Trees have the potential to transform our communities, connect us with nature and provide homes for precious wildlife. They also have a huge role to play in tackling climate change as we build back greener from the pandemic. As we celebrate Her Majesty's incredible 70 years of service, I encourage everyone to get behind this scheme, and go ‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee'.'"

The Woodland Trust supplied 3 million saplings free to school and community groups, and a pilot scheme to train unemployed young people to plant and manage trees was also created under the auspices of the London environmental college Capel Manor College. The initiative included both individuals planting trees in their gardens and the creation of avenues and copses. Seventy ancient woodlands and 70 ancient trees were also identified as part of the celebration.

Launch and the Planting season
The Queen's Green Canopy was officially launched in May 2021, in advance of the Jubilee year of 2022.

The Queen and Prince Charles planted the first tree in March in Windsor Great Park. Charles called it a 'tree-bilee' in a video message and also emphasised the importance of planting the right species in useful places. The two planted another tree at Balmoral Castle on 1 October 2021 to mark the official beginning of the initiative. On 3 October 2021, the first overseas Jubilee Tree was planted by Princess Anne at Hôtel de Charost, residence of the British Ambassador to France. On 30 November 2021, Prince Richard planted the final tree in Rutland's Duke of Edinburgh Memorial Orchard, which was created as a tribute to Prince Philip and is part of the Queen's Green Canopy initiative.

As of January 2022, about 60,000 trees had been planted to mark the Jubilee.

More than one million trees were planted during the first official planting season from October to March. The Countess of Wessex and Forfar planted an elm tree in the Buckingham Palace garden to mark the end of first planting season. In a message marking the end of the first planting season, the Queen said that she was "deeply touched" by the planting of trees in huge numbers and hoped that the "Jubilee trees flourish and grow for many years to come, for future generations to enjoy". A 70 ft sculpture called 'Tree of Trees' was set up in front of Buckingham Palace for the June celebrations. The sculpture, comprising 350 native British trees assembled into a single giant tree, was designed to represent the over one million trees planted during the Green Canopy project. Individual trees will be donated to community groups for replanting after the celebrations.

The first tree planting season ended on 31 March 2022. The second season started in October 2022 and ran until the end of March 2023. King Charles III and Prince William planted one of the final trees at Sandringham House. By the end of the second planting season, three million trees had been planted.

70 Ancient Trees and 70 Ancient Woodlands
70 ancient trees and 70 Ancient Woodlands across the United Kingdom were dedicated to the Queen as part of The Queen's Green Canopy.