Queen's Green Canopy
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The Queen's Green Canopy (QGC) was an initiative that began in May 2021 in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
in honour of the
Platinum Jubilee A platinum jubilee is a celebration held to mark an anniversary. Among Monarchy, monarchies, it usually refers to a 70th anniversary. The most recent monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee is Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the ...
of
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
in 2022. To increase and protect the native tree cover, people were urged to create this 'special gift' for the Queen, to mark her 70 years on the throne.


Background

This initiative was led by
Cool Earth Cool Earth is an international NGO that funds Indigenous communities to protect endangered rainforests in order to combat the climate crisis and protect ecosystems. The charity is associated with long term partnerships with Indigenous villages, ...
in partnership with the
UK Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
and the
Woodland Trust The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland heritage. It has planted over 68 million trees since 1972. The Woodland Tru ...
. Communities, charities, schools, scout groups, councils and landowners were invited to create a network of individual or specimen trees, tree avenues, copses and woodlands. The campaign encouraged the planting of healthy native trees that would thrive, enhancing the environment and the landscape for generations to come. To help the environment and make local areas greener, people were urged to plant trees across the United Kingdom to create a lasting legacy in honour of the Queen's leadership. Alongside this, 70 Ancient Trees and 70 Ancient Woodlands, including some trees more than 1,000 years old and many with links to historical events, were designated as part of the Canopy. In a statement,
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
said:
The Woodland Trust The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland heritage. It has planted over 68 million trees since 1972. The Woodland Tru ...
supplied 3 million
sapling In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only pla ...
s free to school and community groups, and a pilot scheme to train unemployed young people to plant and manage trees was also created under the auspices of the London environmental college
Capel Manor College __NOTOC__ Capel Manor College is a special environmental college located in Enfield, Greater London. The College has five campuses across the capital, Crystal Palace Park, Enfield, Gunnersbury Park, Mottingham and Regent's Park. It has a bod ...
. The initiative included both individuals planting trees in their gardens and the creation of avenues and copses. Seventy ancient woodlands and 70 ancient trees were also identified as part of the celebration.


Launch and the Planting season

The Queen's Green Canopy was officially launched in May 2021, in advance of the Jubilee year of 2022. The Queen and
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
planted the first tree in March in
Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of to the south of the town of Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, Windsor, Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park ...
. Charles called it a 'tree-bilee' in a video message and also emphasised the importance of planting the right species in useful places. The two planted another tree at
Balmoral Castle Balmoral Castle () is a large estate house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and a residence of the British royal family. It is near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and west of Aberdeen. The estate and its original castle were bought ...
on 1 October 2021 to mark the official beginning of the initiative. On 3 October 2021, the first overseas Jubilee Tree was planted by
Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...
at
Hôtel de Charost The Hôtel de Charost ( , ''"sharo"'') is an ''hôtel particulier'' located at 39 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. Since 1814, it has been the official residence of the ambassador of the United Kingdom to France. It is located near the ...
, residence of the
British Ambassador to France The British Ambassador to France is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in France, and is the head of Britain's diplomatic mission in Paris. The official title is ''His Majesty's Ambassador to France''. Traditionally, the ...
. On 30 November 2021, Prince Richard planted the final tree in
Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...
's Duke of Edinburgh Memorial Orchard, which was created as a tribute to
Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...
and is part of the Queen's Green Canopy initiative. As of January 2022, about 60,000 trees had been planted to mark the Jubilee. More than one million trees were planted during the first official planting season from October to March. The Countess of Wessex and Forfar planted an elm tree in the
Buckingham Palace Garden Buckingham Palace Garden is a large private park attached to the London residence of the British monarch. It is situated to the rear (west) of Buckingham Palace, occupying a site in the City of Westminster and forms the largest private garden in ...
to mark the end of first planting season. In a message marking the end of the first planting season, the Queen said that she was "deeply touched" by the planting of trees in huge numbers and hoped that the "Jubilee trees flourish and grow for many years to come, for future generations to enjoy". A sculpture called 'Tree of Trees' was set up in front of Buckingham Palace for the June celebrations. The sculpture, comprising 350 native British trees assembled into a single giant tree, was designed to represent the over one million trees planted during the Green Canopy project. Individual trees will be donated to community groups for replanting after the celebrations. The first tree planting season ended on 31 March 2022. The second season started in October 2022 and ran until the end of March 2023.
King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
and
Prince William William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his p ...
planted one of the final trees at
Sandringham House Sandringham House is a country house in the parish of Sandringham, Norfolk, England. It is one of the royal residences of Charles III, whose grandfather, George VI, and great-grandfather, George V, both died there. The house stands in a est ...
. By the end of the second planting season, three million trees had been planted.


70 Ancient Trees and 70 Ancient Woodlands

70 ancient trees and 70 Ancient Woodlands across the United Kingdom were dedicated to the Queen as part of The Queen's Green Canopy.


See also

*
The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy (QCC) is an initiative begun in 2015 as a network of forest conservation programmes throughout the 54 countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. By 2016, 16 countries had become involved and, by 2023, the number was ...
*
Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Wood The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Wood (initially known as the Flagship Diamond Wood) is a woodland in Leicestershire, UK created in 2012. Covering , it is the centrepiece of a wide-ranging Jubilee Project by the Woodland Trust to mark the 2 ...


References


External links

*
The Queen's Green Canopy
at royal.uk
Trees planted at Army College to honour Captain Tom and launch Green campaign
at army.mod.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Queen's Green Canopy, the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II 2022 in the United Kingdom Forest conservation organizations