In 2021, Queen Elizabeth began a tree-planting initiative. By 2023, it became a nationwide memorial with three million trees

In 2021, Queen Elizabeth II joined the then Prince of Wales to launch a tree-planting initiative that would continue beyond the Platinum Jubilee itself. The idea was straightforward: people across the United Kingdom could plant trees as part of a nationwide tribute to the Queen’s 70 years on the throne. What began as a Jubilee project eventually took on a second purpose in September 2022. Planting was extended into the following spring, allowing trees to be added in her memory. By the time the Queen’s Green Canopy came to an end in March 2023, more than three million trees had been planted across the UK, leaving behind a physical record of a national celebration.Queen Elizabeth II launched the tree-planting project in 2021The Queen’s Green Canopy was created around Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Its central invitation was for individuals, communities, schools, organisations and others to take part by planting trees.As reported by official The Royal Family UK, the Queen and the then Prince of Wales launched the initiative by planting a tree in the grounds of Windsor Castle. The first tree planting season officially began in October 2021, marked by a further planting at the Balmoral Estate with local schoolchildren, before activity spread to locations around the country.The scheme was not limited to large estates or official ceremonies. Trees could be planted by people and organisations in many different settings, with the wider aim of building a lasting record of the Jubilee rather than concentrating the planting in one location.70 ancient trees and 70 ancient woodlands were highlightedAlongside the new planting, the initiative drew attention to trees and woodlands that were already part of the UK landscape.Reportedly, 70 ancient woodlands and 70 ancient trees were highlighted during the Jubilee period. The selection connected the new planting programme with older parts of the landscape, including trees and woodland that had survived for generations.That distinction mattered to the project because the QGC was not simply about adding new trees. It also provided a way to recognise established natural features while marking an important point in the Queen’s reign.Hundreds of young trees came together for the Jubilee’s “Tree of Trees”The planting programme also featured a large temporary installation created for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in London.Known as the QGC “Tree of Trees”, the structure was made from hundreds of young native trees arranged around a central framework. The trees represented the many plantings taking place across the country and gave the nationwide project a physical presence during the Jubilee celebrations.After the event, the individual trees were made available for planting at locations around the UK. The installation therefore became another link between the Jubilee celebrations and the longer-term planting programme.Queen Elizabeth II’s death gave the final planting season a new purposeQueen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, several months after the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The planting initiative could have ended with the Jubilee year, but it was extended following a request from its patron, now King Charles III.The additional planting season ran until March 2023. This gave people another opportunity to plant trees in remembrance of the Queen, changing the character of the final months of the project. Trees planted during this period therefore carried two connected associations: the celebration of the Queen’s 70-year reign and remembrance following her death.More than three million trees were eventually plantedAcross its two planting seasons, the Queen’s Green Canopy recorded more than three million trees planted throughout the United Kingdom. The scale of the final figure reflected participation from a wide range of communities and organisations rather than a single planting operation. The trees were also recorded through an interactive QGC map, allowing the locations associated with the initiative to be represented geographically.By March 2023, the planting phase had finished. What remained was a distributed collection of trees in places across the UK, rather than one single memorial site.A living record of the JubileeThe Queen’s Green Canopy was unusual in that its final legacy was spread across the country. A tree planted for the project could stand in a community space, woodland, garden, school grounds or another suitable location, with each contributing to the wider record.The more than three million trees therefore represent the combined planting activity of the initiative's two seasons. The project began as a way to mark a royal milestone in 2022, was extended after Queen Elizabeth’s death, and finished in 2023 with the planting programme transformed into a lasting memorial as well as a Jubilee legacy.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.