LESS than ten per cent of people in the UK know the best time to plant trees - but nearly half of adults would do so to help the environment. 

New research also found a third of those asked would consider showing love with a tree rather than flowers and more than one in 10 had already done so, according to the survey commissioned by the National Trust.

The poll, carried out by YouGov in September as the leaves began to turn and released before the Tree Council’s national tree week, beginning today, found that 49 per cent of UK adults would consider planting a tree to help the environment, while 35 per cent would think about giving a gift of a tree rather than flowers.

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Trees appear to have become more important to people since the Covid crisis, with more than a quarter of those polled saying they noticed trees more than before the pandemic. 

However, the conservation charity also said only 7 per cent of people in the UK knew the best time of year to plant, and it was launching a drive to improve “tree literacy”.

A total of 42 per cent surveyed said spring was the ideal time to plant rather than winter. Spring and summer are the worst time for planting, the trust says, as young trees need a lot of water.

Also, broad leaf trees are dormant in winter so can be moved from nurseries and planted with minimal impact and stress to the tree.

John Deakin, head of trees and woodland at the National Trust, said: “Every tree can make a difference to our planet.  Trees are good for people, nature and vital in our battle against climate change.

“Trees can be effective for carbon storage and capture once they become more established – typically when they are five years old; and are then at their most effective for helping absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) when they are between 30 and100 years old, although importantly carbon continues to accumulate in well managed woodlands. Open grown trees may continue to sequester carbon at a greater rate when they are older. 

"But regardless of their age they remain brilliant homes for nature, providing the ideal environment for an increasingly diverse range of species as they get ever older including birds, bats and invertebrates such as bees, beetles and hoverflies.  This is why it’s really important for us to look after and care for our veteran and ancient trees as well as planting and establishing an ongoing pipeline of new trees.

Forestry Journal:   

“We also need to plant more trees to ensure we continually offset the deficit caused by tree diseases such as ash dieback, chalara fraxinea, and sudden larch death, phytophthora ramorum. 

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"Some tree diseases are being exacerbated by climate change as trees which are more stressed due to drought, for example, are more susceptible to disease.  Also, due to warmer winter temperatures some tree diseases are no longer being killed off by the cold winter weather.  

“It’s really important that we all play our part – literally every tree counts.  And, even if people don’t have the space to plant a tree, they can donate to our ‘plant a tree’ campaign to help make a difference to nature.”