Royal Launches Jubilee Tree Project

24 February 2011, 10:03 | Updated: 7 March 2011, 17:01

A Queen's jubilee year project to plant six million trees across the UK is being launched in Hampshire today.

The Princess Royal will plant the first tree for the Jubilee Woods Project organised by the Woodland Trust charity.

The project, which has the Queen's support and the Princess Royal as patron, aims to plant the trees across the UK and involve millions of people to celebrate the Queen's 2012 Diamond Jubilee.

To mark the launch, the Princess Royal will be planting a tree and placing a personal letter of support in a specially designed Jubilee Woods time capsule at Home Farm Wood, Burkham, Bentworth, in Hampshire.

Clive Anderson, president of the Woodland Trust, will also be attending.

A competition will be launched later in the year for the public to be part of history by adding their personal story of life in 2012 Britain to the time capsule.

Georgina McLeod, project head at the Woodland Trust, said:

"We very much hope that people across the UK will want to join us in paying a very special tribute to the Queen, while at the same time creating something living and lasting to hand on to future generations.

"It's a great way to celebrate the Jubilee but also it's a chance to make your mark on Britain's future."

Also in the project is 60 special Diamond Woods - each of 60 acres - with hundreds of smaller Jubilee Woods also being created.

The Woodland Trust is providing thousands of free Jubilee Tree packs to communities and schools across the UK.

The tree planting will take place from autumn 2011 until the close of 2012, involving a planned 10% of the population. The Woodland Trust is now looking for landowners, of all kinds, to plant a Diamond or Jubilee Wood on their own land.

Ms McLeod added:

"We can only make this exciting and ambitious project successful with everyone's help. We want to give people the chance to plant trees and we're appealing to our supporters; individuals, organisations and businesses, to help make this happen."