IN our perennial efforts to increase the tree cover in the Chew Valley, we sometimes find ourselves in tricky situations as the ‘go betweens’ trying to link up trees with land owners, and vice versa.

For many years we have been recipients of young ‘orphan’ trees - ‘foundlings’ appearing in marginal spaces, or ‘seedlings’ that enthusiastic kids and parents grow up from seeds. These appear in unpredictable numbers and timings, but want homes for planting as soon as possible.

‘Biosecurity’ has become a real issue too around tree planting. Where do trees come from? Do they carry disease, pests, fungus? Might the soil, if not commercial compost, carry unwelcome invasive weeds?

Of course, amazing endeavours like More Tree BANES, Bristol Tree Forum, and others make available biosecure young trees for very reasonable costs (and even free) to landowners and planting projects.

So when people contact us, interested in planting trees, we have to navigate what their needs are. There are sources of biosecure trees, and organisations like Avon Needs Trees who can arrange formalised agreements to arrange funding to design, source and plant trees.

But there are also some people with patches of land, where our ‘orphaned’ trees suit their informal needs, where they are happy to fund guards and stakes themselves.

However, there can be quite a lot of time and energy spent between us receiving trees and finding their ‘forever homes’ - with transporting, storing, watering and chasing potential homes all taking effort.

Every seedling or sapling planted has the potential to grow into a tree or hedge that will absorb carbon from our atmosphere, contribute valuable food and shelter for wildlife and provide beauty in our landscape.

There were sighs of relief when a home for the trees - and all their potential - was achieved.

Ben Moss, Chew Valley Plants Trees