Get in touch

Answers to some of our most frequently asked questions are provided here. If you are unable to find an answer to your question, please get in touch by phone, 020 7587 1320, or email us by clicking the button below.

FAQ

Can I get more info on your Schools/Edible Playgrounds programme?

Have a look at our dedicated web page or get in touch with our Schools team at schools@treesforcities.org.

How can my business partner up/volunteer with Trees for Cities?

You’ll find more info about our corporate services here, or email our corporate team directly.

How can I donate?

Donate through our online form here. Alternatively, you could send us a cheque and make it payable to Trees for Cities.

How do I volunteer for Trees for Cities?

Sign up to our volunteer mailing list here and be the first to hear about new volunteer opportunities! Please note that our planting season runs from October to March.

How much does a tree cost?

A tree costs us approx. £6 to plant in a city (though large trees and fruit trees have a higher price).

Can I donate a tree to your organisation?

Unfortunately, we are currently unable to accept donations of trees from the public.

We have reluctantly come to adopt this position because of the logistical difficulties associated with fitting them into projects, maintaining the principles of right-tree-right-place, and working within our limited planting season and maintenance budgets. Our position on this has been strengthened by the current severe threats posed to the urban forest by invasive pests and diseases, which have forced us to limit ourselves to a few trusted suppliers.

Other charities are likely to have a similar stance, so we suggest contacting local friends of parks associations, schools, or community groups.

Can you help save trees that are set to be felled?

Protection of trees is a challenging area, and depends largely on who owns the land that they are located on.

- If on private land (e.g. someone’s back garden) - unless the trees are either in a conservation area or have a tree protection order - it's up to the owner to decide the tree's future. You could try to speak constructively with the owner about alternative options.

- If on public land the trees will belong to the local authority or highways. Our recommendation is to get in touch with your council and your local tree officer (LTOA details can be found here), which is the official route for challenging these decisions. If there is enough of a stir in the local community, you could oppose it with a petition to the council as well.

Trees for Cities is currently exploring ways to influence and strengthen the protection of trees in public and private ownership.

How often do you water your trees?

Our watering programme runs on the recommended frequency that the British Standards advises: every two weeks in the first year, every three weeks in the second and once a month in the third.

When it’s extremely hot we have increased our watering rates, but we'd highly appreciate every bit of help we can get in watering the young trees. If the tree has a pipe next to it, water can be poured into it to water the roots.

Street tree planting advice / guerilla planting

While we think it's great that members of the public would like to plant trees, we unfortunately don't have the capacity to assist at present time. A lot of consideration goes into the right tree being planted in the right place, such as conducting soil tests, consideration of the size of the tree when fully established and surrounding constraints such as buildings, sewer systems underground and light levels. We'd suggest getting in touch with a private Arboricultural Consultant who can access the site and provide recommendations. It would also be worth contacting the local authority/council to check on any planting regulations.

However, we'd still still love to hear from community groups, organisations and landowners about potential collaborations. Get in touch: info@treesforcities.org

How to find us

Trees for Cities

Prince Consort Lodge,

Kennington Park,

Kennington Park Place,

London SE11 4AS

Our head office is located between the Kennington and Oval Underground Stations, both of which are on the Northern Line. From Kennington, exit the station and turn left onto Kennington Park Road until you reach the park on your left. From Oval, exit the station and turn left onto Kennington Park Road, cross the road at the zebra crossing and continue until you reach the park on your right.

There are also bus stops nearby for buses 3, 59, 133, 155, 159, and 333.

There is no car parking space whatsoever at our office, but lots of room for locking up bicycles!

We also have an office in Whitacre Mews, Kennington.

Did you know?

The lodge was originally constructed as a ‘Model Housing for Families’ and displayed at the Great Exhibition of 1851 before being moved to Kennington Park.

The prototype design was commissioned by Prince Albert as president of the Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes. It has influenced housing design and construction around the world; homes based on this model were built in London, Herford, Warrington, the Hague, St Petersburg and Brussels.