Help us celebrate a decade of parliamentary action for woods and trees

Image credit: Anita Nicholson / WTML


If woods and trees where you live are important to you, you can make a real difference by letting your MP know. 

Since 2015, the Woodland Trust has hosted the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Woods and Trees – a group for like-minded MPs and Lords to discuss, plan and increase efforts to protect our precious woodland habitats.

Your invitations to MPs have helped shape policy

With our supporters’ dedicated efforts in promoting the group, it has grown in strength over the last decade, gaining members from every political party.

Asking your representatives to attend meetings has resulted in widespread support, making the APPG more effective and leading to significant successes for woods and trees. These include: 

  • strengthening protections for ancient woodland and ancient and veteran trees. National planning policy and legislation like the 2021 Environment Act and 2023 Levelling Up & Regeneration Act now give these irreplaceable habitats greater protection from development threats. 

  • securing additional funding for the Ancient Woodland Inventory (England) to map this irreplaceable habitat. Knowing where these woodlands are is vital to protecting and restoring them. 

  • supporting the introduction of the Heritage Tree Private Members’ Bill, which aims to secure legal protection for the UK’s oldest and most special trees. Widespread support makes the bill more likely to become law. 

We could not have achieved this without well-attended meetings supported by many MPs from different parties. Thank you for all your help over the last 10 years. 

Ask your representative to join the next meeting 

The next APPG meeting takes place on 21 October 2025 and we need your help to encourage MPs to attend.  

This anniversary meeting will celebrate the group’s achievements so far and set the foundations for the next decade of standing up for woods and trees in parliament. Good attendance is essential to build on our strong support and continue making a difference. 

By telling your MP about the APPG meeting, why their attendance is important to you and why woods and trees matter, you will help secure the next decade of successes in parliment. 

Message your MP now.

What is an All-Party Parliamentary Group?  

An All-Party Parliamentary Group is an informal group where Westminster MPs and members of the House of Lords, from any party, meet regularly to discuss a particular topic of interest.   

The Woodland Trust hosts one on woods and trees. It focuses on protecting, restoring and expanding wooded habitats across the UK. 

Read more about our APPG

What else has the APPG achieved in the last decade? 

Other successes since 2015 include: 

  • proposing various amendments to the Environment Bill (now Act). These amendments strengthened the legal requirements in the England Tree Strategy, requiring the setting of targets and 10-year reviews. 

  • proposing a Tree-lined Streets Bill as a Ten Minute Rule Bill in 2020. 

  • pushing for amendments to the ongoing Planning and Infrastructure Bill, aiming to improve protection for irreplaceable habitats like ancient woodland.  

  • sponsoring the introductions of parliamentary debates and motions that have kept woods and trees on the parliamentary agenda during a decade of significant political change. 

Urge your MP to attend the 10-year anniversary APPG meeting
 

 

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Ask your MP to attend the APPG for Woods and Trees on 21 October 2025. Personalise the template if you can, to let your MP know why you'd love them to attend. This will give your email more impact.
 

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