This spring the roots, woven deep below Hadrian’s wall, are quietly at work. Drawing energy from the soil around them, the tree is sending out tentative new shoots. Year by year we will witness the irrepressible power of nature at work.

In a time when urban expansion often takes priority over green spaces, it’s not every day you hear about a local council choosing nature over profit. Yet, in the heart of Ealing, within the boundaries of the M25, an extraordinary project is taking root – literally.

An ambitious plan to bring back the majestic elm tree to the British countryside is well underway. With hundreds of elm saplings being planted in West Sussex by our partner, Conservation Foundation.

ITF are supporting a project to re-plant an acre of land with 600 new trees to create more diverse woodland with a mixture of hazel, beech and birch which will be coppice managed.

Young eco warriors are championing the cause for trees at Acresfield Community Primary School. ITF are supporting a project to plant 50 indigenous trees to help the school increase its woodland.

Over the next twelve months 120 English, Field, Wych and Huntingdon elms will be planted in three Sussex villages in the Cuckmere valley.

The project, based in the London Borough of Redbridge, aims to transform an overgrown and unused woodland area into an interactive space that is accessible to all ELHAP users.

A note from Ted Green M B E – ITF Vice President.