12 April 2011: The Big Tree Plant has reached the landmark of 100,000 planted trees this week and to mark the occasion Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has planted a tree in Solihull, Birmingham.

The campaign was launched in December 2010 and brings together a number of organisations with the aim of planting one million trees in urban and residential areas over the next four years.

Speaking after she planted the tree, Mrs Spelman said:

“Hitting the 100,000 mark is a fantastic achievement and shows how much people care about enhancing our urban green spaces.

“The number of trees in urban and semi-urban areas has dropped over recent years, so the point of this campaign is to reverse that trend so that we can all gain from the benefits that trees provide in our towns and cities.”

Pauline Buchanan Black, Director-General of The Tree Council, said:

“Reaching this landmark of 100,000 trees by the end of the first planting season suggests that The Big Tree Plant has already captured the imagination of communities everywhere. It has been possible because of the partnerships with organisations who are supporting local people with their plans for planting projects, but there is no time to be complacent – we all have a lot more trees to get in the ground!”