Thank you for signing up to plant a tree with us!

As part of the project, we are pleased to be holding a Community Tree Planting Day at Millwall Park, Manchester Road, London E14 3NQ on Saturday 31st January 2026 from 10am to 3pm. 

We have now reached capacity for our event through our online sign ups. You are welcome to come along on the day but please note we may not have enough equipment and resources for you to take part in tree planting. 

Our community planting days are free and open to everyone and are suitable for families. We will provide all the tools and equipment you will need as well as free lunch and refreshments.

Accessibility is very important to us, and we are working to make sure our events can welcome everyone. If you have any specific needs or questions around accessibility at this event please contact community@treesforcities.org.

First time planting a tree? Find out more from one volunteer's story.

Are you a local school or community group? 

We are also offering free 1-hour tree planting workshops as part of this project on Tuesday 27th January, Wednesday 28th January and Thursday 29th January. 

Please get in touch with Jennifer at community@treesforcities.org for more information. 

Why are we planting trees here?

Trees for Cities is planting trees to introduce new species, provide more seasonal colour and shade, improve biodiversity and increase climate resilience.  You can explore the plans using the links below. 

We are planning to plant up to 40 standard trees, which are young trees at least 6 feet tall and around 8-12 years old. Half of these standards are new additions to the space, while the other half would replace ones that have struggled to survive in challenging circumstances. All trees planted this season will be carefully selected for their suitability at the site and looked after by Trees for Cities staff for 3 years to encourage their establishment. After this period, the trees will be under the care of environment maintenance and park teams at Tower Hamlets Council.

The majority of new trees have been arranged for the benefit of park users (as well as other wildlife) near high use areas, such as the paths, children's play area and outdoor gym. We have taken care not to affect the playing field space used for sports. Together the native and non-native species chosen provide an important and interesting mix in a range of shapes and sizes as they mature, to increase biodiversity and climate adaptation and provide seasonal interest, while also being tough enough to withstand difficult urban conditions. In time these trees will also provide shade and cooling effects in summer months. 

What types of trees would be planted?

The Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) has yellow spring flowers, bright red and edible fruits in summer and reddish-purple leaves in autumn. Paul's hawthorn (Crataegus media paul's scarlet) has bunches of pink flowers in spring, while trees like the Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata) and Japanese rowan (Sorbus commixta) have bright-coloured leaves as they change in autumn. The European nettle (Celtis australis), Wild service tree (Sorbus torminalis) and Lebanese wild apple (Malus trilobata) all have edible fruit popular with birds and other wildlife. 

The English walnuts (Juglans regia) and Gingkos (Gingko biloba) have also been chosen to suit the environments near the park mounds, and we plan to build on the existing hedge line on the eastern side of the park with native hedge species. This will involve planting whips - these are small trees only 30-50cm tall.  In time they will provide a rich habitat for wildlife and define the boundary better between road and park. 

We hope these trees will be a welcome improvement to the park and provide lasting benefits to the environment and the local community. We hope you can join us in shaping the design and planting the trees over the next few months. 

Thank you for your feedback

Our community consultation for the tree planting design has now closed. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. 

If you have further comments or questions, contact us via email at community@treesforcities.org