Our vision for the London Tree Ring

There are three linked elements to the London Tree Ring vision

1. Creating a ring of trees around the capital – a kind of M25 for nature linking existing woodland with the best woodland creation opportunity sites. The proposed route has a length of over 200km (source Greenspace Information for Greater London – the capital’s green records centre).  There will be particular focus on transforming former landfill and gravel extraction sites, and sites that have been fenced off and fly tipped along the route.  Key opportunities for action include connecting Epping to Hainault Forest and on to Thames Chase Community Forest in the north and linking remnants of the Great North Wood in the south.

2. Greening key radial walking and cycling routes. Connecting this outer ring of trees to central London will encourage active travel in a very positive way. Opportunities for tree planting include along the six new radial routes featured in London’s Leisure Walking Plan.

3. Linking the currently most green-deprived areas to green routes and London’s countryside – giving priority to reaching areas where high indicators of multiple deprivation combine with green deprivation. This will be done through greening routes connecting these areas to both the outer ring of trees and key radial walking and cycling ways incorporating greened ‘School Streets’ where possible. It is estimated in the London Leisure Walking Plan there would be £1.7bn savings to the NHS in treatment costs over 25 years if every Londoner walked for 20 minutes each day.1 

This will deliver a range of vital ecosystem services including:

• carbon capture and storage
• urban cooling
• improving water quality
• improving air quality
• flood risk reduction
• providing locally grown wood and food

This is urgently needed as part of our response to the climate and nature crises and to contribute to a better, greener and healthier future for everyone living in and visiting our city.

Encouraging planting in strategic locations is key to our approach to delivering positive environmental benefits.  For example promoting planting near streams and rivers will be part of our plans.  ‘Woodlands for water’ can both create new priority wet woodland habitats and protect other priority habitats such as London’s chalk streams, by improving water quality through reducing the amount of sediment and pollutants that reach rivers. These new woodlands can also provide shade and reduce summer water temperature for fish helping rivers adapt to climate change.  

Huge population of around 10 million people stand to benefit

Around 8.8 million individuals live within the Greater London Area. This population swells to 10 million on an average day with people coming to work or to visit the city.   

Access to green spaces will be increased substantially.  There will be a substantial surge in opportunities to get involved in green volunteering including hands-on planting, caring for new saplings and also getting involved in improving the management of established woodland. 

When funding is secured for this, the London Tree Ring project will be an amazing opportunity for upskilling and training a more diverse cohort in green skills, and particularly tree management related skills, through certified volunteering and apprenticeships.

Find out more about how you can get involved here

What organisations are already involved in the London Tree Ring Steering Group? Find out, here