Published on 12 November 2024
Clare Bissell (Project Lead) – National Trust
Michelle Twena – National Trust
David Bavin – National Trust
Bryony Aitchison – National Trust
Sarah Crowley – University of Exeter
Matthew Heard – National Trust
ExCASES missions provide short, intense periods of focus towards issues communicated as priorities for RENEW partner organisations and external stakeholders. The ExCASES team work collaboratively with people across different sectors and disciplines, co-designing research and participatory processes to generate empowering outcomes for people and the environment.
This exploratory mission aimed to:
Urban trees have long been vital for the biodiversity of cities due to the huge array of animal, plant, and fungi species that rely on them for habitat, food, shelter, water, canopy cover and many other life-supporting roles (Endreny et al., 2017; van den Bosch & Ode Sang, 2017). Furthermore, urban trees provide diverse ecological, social and cultural connection to people and communities, for example through their beauty, seasonality, longevity, air quality, groundwater control, and cooling shade.
The planting, ongoing care and protection of urban trees have most commonly been the responsibility of local authorities. Whilst local authorities usually hold the decision-making power, urban trees have often been supported by grassroots action, small community groups, and the voluntary work and participation of local communities who care about green spaces. There are examples of this in most towns and cities across the UK, seen in urban food forests, community orchards, street tree wardens/guardians, and even coordinated guerilla planting and tree protection activism.
Many research projects and initiatives are currently exploring issues related to the maintenance and expansion of the urban tree canopy. Despite this, there is a gap in terms of drawing lessons from community work experts – the community groups on the ground, often working with very limited resources – about how best to ensure the meaningful participation of communities in the care of and decisions about urban trees for effective biodiversity outcomes.
To amplify and consolidate local participation and involvement in the care of and decisions about urban trees, local authorities and larger landscape initiatives need to connect and work effectively with the small and medium sized organisations who are already cultivating care for trees in urban spaces. This is a ripe opportunity to learn lessons from places which are doing this well.
This mission has taken an exploratory approach. It started with creating a long-list of interesting place-placed urban tree initiatives that are working with communities. A short list was generated based on including a spread of project-type/focus and geographic location. Interviews took place with these projects and short ‘spotlight’ case studies are being created that tell good news stories of local action for urban trees. A participatory workshop in October 2024 brought together different place-based projects to: discuss some of the challenges and opportunities small-medium projects experience when working with communities on urban trees; explore how partnerships and collaborations between initiatives of different sizes can be improved; and feed into mission outputs.
Building on the momentum of National Tree Week and its theme of ‘A Future Filled with Trees’, the outputs from this work were published in December 2025. They include a report and a user-friendly booklet which showcase the different models that place-based initiatives are using to drive local action, including street tree guardianship schemes, community orchards, tiny forests, and neighbourhood-based tree nurseries. In addition, there are three standalone, visually engaging infographics designed to be used by anyone who wants to grow and care for trees in towns and cities or involve communities in restoring nature and ending unequal access. Finally, the Roots and branches tool supports the strategic planning of organisations or coalitions. It encourages creative thinking about organisational values, core activities, and potential impacts, including climate resilience and tree equity.
This ExCASES mission shows that thriving urban forests start with people. When communities are trusted, involved in decisions, and given the tools to act, they create inclusive green spaces that can transform cities. While the research recognises a number of barriers, such as limited land, short funding cycles, and fragmented networks, it also worked collaboratively with community tree organisations to develop a bold solution: the creation of a new Urban Forest Network. This network would ensure better collaboration and coordination between the many place-based initiatives, eNGOs, statutory organisations and other stakeholders who care about urban trees and nature. As part of the research outputs, a proposed Terms of Reference (appendix E, main report) was drafted and handed over to lead organisations to aid the establishment of an Urban Forest Network. This is under consideration and review.
The work has helped amplify how different organisations are working to grow resilient, biodiverse urban forests. Many of the case studies featured focus on areas of higher deprivation to ensure nature’s benefits reach everyone and tackle tree inequity, where the benefits from urban trees are not shared fairly across different neighbourhoods. The outputs from this mission are intended to inspire others and support inclusive delivery approaches. Since publication, they have been shared across the RENEW programme, teams at the National Trust, and a range of external organisations, who have added the outputs to their resource libraries. Specifically, the ‘Tiny Acorns’ booklet has been used by community-based projects to highlight the impact that seemingly small projects can have.
Explore practical tools, inspiring stories, and audience-specific guidance for growing the urban forest together
Banner image: Vitalijs-Barilo, Unsplash
