Queen's Green Canopy

The Queen's Green Canopy (QGC) was an initiative that began in May 2021 in the United Kingdom in honour of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II 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 in partnership with the UK Government and the Woodland Trust. 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 Boris Johnson said:

The Woodland Trust supplied 3 million saplings 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. 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 planted the first tree in March in Windsor Great 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 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 at Hôtel de Charost, residence of the British Ambassador to France. On 30 November 2021, Prince Richard planted the final tree in Rutland's Duke of Edinburgh Memorial Orchard, which was created as a tribute to Prince Philip 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 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 erected outside Buckingham Palace for the June celebrations. The sculpture, which contains 350 native British trees in the form of one giant tree, reflects the more than one million trees planted during Green Canopy initiative. The trees will be gifted to selected community groups for planting after the celebrations.

The first tree planting season ended on 31 March 2021. The second season started in October 2022 and ran until the end of March 2023. King Charles III and Prince William planted one of the final trees at Sandringham House. 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.

Related projects beyond the UK

Czechia and Slovakia

Slovak NGO Servare et Manere (SeM) under the auspices of the British Embassy in Bratislava already implemented QGC ideas in Slovakia in 2021. In Carl Gustav Swensson Park in Žilina, British Ambassador Nigel Baker planted the very first Platinum Jubilee tree in Central Europe. Because Slovakia is not a commonwealth country, the Slovak tree could not be entered onto the official list and be marked on the oficial QGC map. After the death of the Queen, SeM initiated the creation of the first and only official place of worship to honour Queen Elizabeth II in Slovakia at this tree in Žilina. On Sunday, the day before the Queen's state funeral, SeM in cooperation with the Vysoká nad Kysucou parish planted a rose of the 'Queen Elizabeth' variety in the local Biblical garden. It was the last public commemoration of the late Queen Elizabeth II in Slovakia. Since the QGC project continued until the end of March 2023, SeM approached its British partner the Memorial Association for Free Czechoslovak Veterans to plant a Sister Platinum Jubilee tree at the Brookwood Cemetery as part of a joint project. This sister tree unites three countries and commemorates this year's (2023) 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and independent Czechia and independent Slovakia. Mutual recognition began during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, who was the first British monarch to accept the credentials of the first independent Czech and Slovak Ambassadors. It was a unique international planting of platinum trees under the QGC program. The chosen tree for the United Kingdom was a ''Prunus Padus'' and was planted by the Czech and Slovak Ambassador. The British tree has been entered on the official QGC map.

See also

* The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy
* Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Wood

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