I Dig Trees – over 700,000 trees and growing

Our 2019/20 I Dig Trees programme is now open

We have 350,000 carbon busting trees to give away to community groups and volunteers for FREE! The sooner we plant them all, the sooner we will reach 1 million trees.

Ready. Steady. Grow.

Trees. They’re not just nice to look at. These wooden wonders literally eat carbon out of the air – and that’s why we love them. OVO is on a journey with their members to reach zero-carbon living, and trees are helping them get there.

On behalf of OVO members with green upgrades, we’ve helped plant over 700,000 carbon-busting trees since 2015. And by the end of 2019, local communities, volunteers and even OVO staff are set to reach an amazing milestone – 1 million trees planted up and down the UK.

We are delighted to be running I Dig Trees for the fifth year during the 2019/2020 planting season with OVO Energy. This fantastic partnership programme is a great opportunity for any community group or volunteer that would like to join in and feel good by either planting trees or nominating a local community group.

Ready...

Since 2015 we’ve been planting trees with OVO Energy and this year we’re are aiming to reach over 1 million trees!

Throughout the bare-root planting season of 2019/20, we are aiming to plant even more trees – another 350,000+ trees in over 800 green spaces across the UK which will be achieved with approximately 37,000 hours of community volunteering for everyone to grow.

Steady...

If you ‘dig’ trees, there are two ways in which to get involved:

My Community Digs Trees – We have over 7,000 FREE community tree packs for distribution to community groups. Simply register your community group to receive our free tree planting packs.
TCV ‘I Dig Trees’ Days – Or you can volunteer to take part in tree planting at a location near you.

Grow...

Through the tremendous support of OVO Energy’s Green Electricity members, these tree packs are available completely FREE of charge!

All the tree varieties are native UK species and available in packs of 50, ready for delivery from November.

How to nominate a community group

Are you part of a community group that would benefit from receiving FREE trees? Then we would love you to nominate them. We have 7,000 packs of 50 trees – a total of 350,000 FREE trees!

To nominate your group you will need to provide us with the following information:

The group name
Person responsible
Address
Email address
Where the trees will be planted
How will you make use of these trees?
Which packs and how many are required (maximum of 19 packs – 950 trees – per group).

We will:

Confirm the nomination with the group
Inform them of a delivery date
Support sustainable planting by sending our tree planting guide to encourage best practice and tree aftercare recommendations

Join us we've got 350,000 trees to plant!

Joining a local tree-planting group not only helps your local community but also supports the environment, improves your health and wellbeing and is a great way to meet new people.

TCV volunteering projects provide:

The guidance of a skilled and knowledgeable leader
All tools and safety equipment
Refreshments to keep you energised
Insurance whilst on site
Knowledge sharing regarding trees and the local environment
A place to meet people and make new friendships!

You need:

To complete a volunteer registration form when you arrive
Comfortable clothing including waterproofs (it will be autumn/winter after all)
The “join in, feel good” attitude!

Where the trees have been planted

728,000 trees have been planted since 2015. The map below shows where the trees have been planted.

I Dig Trees - tree information

Our tree packs are predetermined with varieties that best suit a particular growing environment and all are recommended UK varieties. All packs come with the option (see below) of 50 x spiral guards (60cm x 50mm dia.) and supporting cane (90cm 12/14lbs) and packaged in forestry co-extruded bags.

Reducing and recycling plastic

All our trees are supplied with a plastic spiral guard, these are to protect the trees from rabbits and perhaps strimming or mowing after they have been planted. TCV and OVO Energy are committed to managing the amount of plastic we use and raising awareness of the importance of using less plastic.

Before placing your order, please consider: Do you need the spiral guards? Perhaps you are planting in a fenced or protected area. Perhaps you know you do not have a localised problem with rabbits. If you do not require spiral guards, or only a part order, please indicate this on your order form.

Pack 1. Parkland	10 x English Oak, 10 x Common Alder, 10 x Beech (common), 10 x Silver Birch and 10 x Hornbeam
Pack 2. Large Garden	10 x Downy Birch, 10 x Mountain Ash/Rowan, 10 x Aspen, 10 x Wild Cherry, and 10 x Field Maple
Pack 3. Small Garden	10 x Mountain Ash/Rowan, 10 x Bird Cherry, 10 x Hazel, 10 x Common Crab Apple and 10 x Grey Willow
Pack 4. Wildlife & Shrubs	10 x Blackthorn, 10 x Guelder Rose, 10 x Hawthorn, 10 x Common Dogwood and 10 x Goat Willow (This pack contains some hedgerow varieties, but is not a pure hedgrow pack)

Whilst some species do vary a little from last season, all will be suitable for their pack location. These changes have had to be made simply because of availability.

(Please note, each order is limited to a maximum of 19 packs – 950 trees – in total)