There’s something about trees that we all love and right now it’s National Tree Week - a yearly celebration spearheaded by the Tree Council, running from 22nd-30th November and marking the traditional start of tree planting season. The sunrise shot below across the Heath epitomises how wonderful trees really are, and fittingly, here at Heath Hands, we’ve just embarked on a planting programme focusing on hedgerows - find out more below.

Hampstead Heath sunrise — Sunrise through the Tumulus. Shot by Margaret Bloom.

Thanks to our recent Hedgerow Heroes crowdfunder and match funding from Aviva Community Fund and British Airways Community Fund, we’re pleased to say that we've raised over £10,000 to support our hedge planting programme this winter.

Planting has started with help from volunteers, and, over the next few months, we will be planting over 200 metres of new native hedgerows in the Parliament Hill area of Hampstead Heath, extending our previous hedge planting programmes to boost biodiversity, create and enhance wildlife corridors and increase climate resilience. There will be drop-in planting sessions over the coming months - see our what’s on page for details.

The hedgerows will be sited along existing fencelines, softening the boundaries and turning them into wildlife-friendly habitats. Native hedgerows are key for wildlife, providing year-round resources such as nectar, berries and cover for nesting birds and hibernating insects. In addition to benefits for wildlife, hedgerows prevent soil erosion, making the landscape more flood resilient. They are also effective carbon stores, contributing to fighting climate change.

Hampstead Heath tree planting — Volunteers planting trees near the Athletic Track

The species planted will include a range of native species such as hawthorn, guelder rose, blackthorn, field maple and hazel to provide a variety of habitats and food sources and complement the Heath’s existing mature hedgerows. To find out about hedgerow trees and the Heath’s hedgerows, check out out hedgerow spotter sheet, which can be picked up at the Heath Info Hut on Saturdays or downloaded from our website. For more information about National Tree Week head over to their website.

Mature trees are also hugely valuable for wildlife and Hampstead Heath is home to many veteran trees and mature woodlands. To find out more about those, check out our other tree blog posts,

Keep an eye on our what’s on page for upcoming tree planting sessions, alongside our regular tree walks or check out our ‘Top ten trees’ spotter sheet which can be downloaded here.

Celebrating our Trees this Week

Autumn grips the Heath