Frequently Asked Questions

Limington in Leaf covers all of Yeovilton and District parish, along with the village of Ashington. Last season (early 2023), we only planted in Limington, Draycott, and Ashington, due to the limited time available.

No. Unless you have specifically requested trees for your land, and we have discussed your request with you, no planting will take place on your land.

We obtain all of our saplings for free, and therefore they are also free to the landowner. 

Furthermore, Limington in Leaf is committed to eliminating all costs associated with tree planting for the landowner, such as tree protection and fencing. Wherever possible, these costs will be either avoided entirely or covered by grants from local funds. If, however, we are not able to cover all costs, we will discuss this with the landowner prior to planting and it will be their decision on whether to proceed at their own cost or abandon planting.

We hope to begin planting in November this year, continuing throughout the planting season until March next year. Sign up to email updates here and you'll always know when we're working on a project.

We are still very much in the planning stage for the upcoming planting season, and have therefore not yet finalised plans for any site. Sign up to email updates here and you'll always know where we'll next be planting.

There are many ways you can take part. The best way is to subscribe to our email updates here so that we can be in touch about future volunteering opportunities and our current projects (and progress).

You can also request trees using this form, from as little as a single tree to multiple acres. We'll then be in touch to discuss whether we can supply you with trees (free of charge).

Even simply spreading the word about this project is enormously helpful.

We rely on charities such as the Woodland Trust and Reimagining the Levels to supply our trees for free. The Woodland Trust grows their trees in accordance with their biosecurity policy - details of which can be found on their website. Reimagining the Levels grow their trees locally.

All of our trees are planted with tree guards, although the type may differ depending on the location and available resources. A 60cm spiral and cane will protect against small mammals such as rabbits for around five years, although will prove ineffective against deer or livestock. Larger tubes (1.5m) and stakes may be used in more exposed areas, although are significantly more expensive.

New plantations require continuous management in their first five-to-ten years, including regular monitoring, mulching, weeding, and possibly watering (if periods of intense drought occur). The management plan for each site will be discussed and agreed with the landowner.

Who does the management will vary depending on the size of the woodland. In most cases, we will expect the landowner to undertake all management and report back to Limington in Leaf, with the exception of mulching - which should occur immediately after the trees are planted. For larger sites, management will likely be a community effort.

Planting trees has an enormous range of benefits. They sequester carbon and are therefore key in reversing our impact on our warming climate. They improve our mental wellbeing; a walk among trees can reduce stress and fatigue, whilst planting encourages more social interaction and increases our sense of community. Trees greatly increase soil quality, improving local crop yields and preventing soil erosion. They are an excellent way of naturally combatting flooding, through their ability to both intercept rainfall (thereby slowing the rate at which water reaches a given area) and to store excess water. And their careful management allows for a diverse range of species to grow amongst the trees, thereby greatly increasing local biodiversity through their ability to home and provide food for a vast array of animals. All of the above can positively impact crop yields, local water quality, and much more.

Yes! We are at heart a biodiversity-enhancement project and are always looking for opportunities to improve local wildlife. Within our new plantations we already try to encourage flora biodiversity through very restricted mowing and the suppression of overly-dominant species (e.g. brambles). We are also currently looking at the possibility of planting wildflower meadows under either Phase 2 or 3.

No, absolutely not.

We obtain our trees entirely for free from local and national charities, and we try to cover any costs we do incur with grants from local organisations and funds. If we were ever to apply to the Parish Council for funding, we would of course follow the normal procedure for doing so.

Limington in Leaf is a rolling project. Tree planting is not something that should be done once and then neglected; woodlands must be continually managed, renewed, and expanded. Too many projects in the UK see trees planted, ignored, and killed by negligence. We are different.

It is our initial ambition to have planted 3000 trees by the end of the 2025/26 planting season. So far we have planted 437.

We will also continue to oversee (or participate in) the maintance of all of our sites, including mulching and potential re-stocking, for as long as we are able.