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 Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
in honour of the
Platinum Jubilee
A platinum jubilee is a celebration held to mark an anniversary. Among 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 other Co ...
of
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
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 a UK-based international NGO that protects endangered rainforest in order to combat global warming, protect ecosystems and to provide employment for local people.
The organisation receives its income through business partnerships, ...
in partnership with the
UK Government
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
, image = HM Government logo.svg
, image_size = 220px
, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
, image_size2 = 180px
, caption = Royal Arms
, date_est ...
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 50 million trees since 1972.
The Woodland Tr ...
. 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, premier 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. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
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 50 million trees since 1972.
The Woodland T ...
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, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are us ...
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, London.
The College has six campuses across the capital, Brooks Farm (Leyton), Crystal Palace Park, Enfield, Gunnersbury Park, Mottingham and Regent’s Park. ...
. 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. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
planted the first tree in March in
Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of , including a deer park, to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park was, for ma ...
. 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 boug ...
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 Ki ...
at Hôtel de Charost
Hôtel de Charost is a 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 Élysée Palace.
History
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 Prince Richard may refer to:
* Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (1473–)
* Prince Richard von Metternich (1829–1895), from the German House of Metternich
* Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (1934–2017), from the German House of ...
planted the final tree in Rutland
Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire.
Its greatest l ...
'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 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...
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
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
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 his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales.
Born in London, William was educa ...
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 estat ...
. 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
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
Servare et Manere (SeM) under the auspices of the British Embassy
This is a list of diplomatic missions of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, excluding honorary consulates. The UK has one of the largest global networks of diplomatic missions. UK diplomatic missions to capitals of other Com ...
in Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% o ...
already implemented QGC ideas in Slovakia in 2021. In Carl Gustav Swensson
Carl Gustav Swensson (also spelled ''Svensson''; 15 June 1861 – 13 April 1910) was a Swedish landscape architect.
Biography
Swensson was born in Jönköping and educated by his father, Anders Gustaf Svensson. In 1880 or 1881 he moved to W ...
Park in Žilina
Žilina (; hu, Zsolna, ; german: Sillein, or ; pl, Żylina , names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Sl ...
, British Ambassador Nigel Baker
Nigel Marcus Baker (born 9 September 1966) is a British diplomat, who was formerly Ambassador to Bolivia and Ambassador to the Holy See. He was Head of the Latin America department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 2016 to 2019, a ...
planted the very first Platinum Jubilee tree in Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the ...
. Because Slovakia is not a commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with " republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from th ...
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
Vysoká nad Kysucou ( hu, Hegyeshely) is a village and municipality in Čadca District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.
History
In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1619.
The first COVID-19 Tree of Peace
The Int ...
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
planted a rose of the 'Queen Elizabeth' variety in the local Biblical garden Biblical gardens are cultivated collections of plants that are named in the Bible. They are a type of theme garden that botanical gardens, public parks, and private gardeners maintain. They are grown in many parts of the world, with many examples ...
. 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
Brookwood Cemetery, also known as the London Necropolis, is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. The cemetery is listed a Grade I site in the Regi ...
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
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and independent Czechia
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The Cz ...
and independent Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
. Mutual recognition began during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, who was the first British monarch
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional monarchy, constitutional form of government by which a hereditary monarchy, hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United ...
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
''Prunus padus'', known as bird cherry, hackberry, hagberry, or Mayday tree, is a flowering plant in the rose family. It is a species of cherry, a deciduous small tree or large shrub up to tall. It is the type species of the subgenus '' Padu ...
'' 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
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 2019 the number was 4 ...
* 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 ...
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