Plant a tree for Bristol

Planting new trees on street or in open public spaces

If you, your employer or your community group would like to add to what is one of Bristol’s most important urban tree stocks, then you can help us to pay for new tree planting on a Bristol street or in one of its public spaces. The site will need to be one which the Council has approved as suitable for tree planting, however.

Can I sponsor a new tree?

Yes. For a cost of just £295, the Council will:

Plant a 6/7 year old tree between about 2-3 metres high.
Provide and install the pressure-treated stakes and lightweight galvanised mesh steel tree guard needed to support & protect the tree in its early years.
Water and care for it for two years after planting, while it gets established.

You can also add a plaque for the tree with up to seven words printed on it for £25 so you can celebrate a new birth or remember loved ones.

If this is more than you can afford, then you may be able to ask your neighbours or your local community to help raise the money to cover the cost.

Alternatively, your employer may be willing to cover the cost under our sister Replant Bristol scheme.

How do I find a tree planting location to sponsor?

Visit our Trees of Bristol Tree Sponsorship page to see all the available tree planting sites (TPLs) you can sponsor.
You can browse the map or use the Search option to see what TPLs are available at a specific location.
You can then view and select any TPL shown on the map or in the list to find out more about it and the species of tree* which will be planted there.
Once you have done so, click on Sponsorship PDF form to open the Sponsorship form for your chosen site.
The form will use a unique tree reference based on the site you have selected.
Save the form by selecting File/Save as and select where to save it. You can then email the form to TreeBristol at treebristol@bristol.gov.uk.
If you prefer, you can print the form off direct, complete it and post it to: TreeBristol, PO Box 3176, Bristol BS3 9FS.

When the form is received, the Council will check that the site is still available (it might already have been sponsored). If it is not available then you will be invited to choose an alternative site.

If all is well, the Council will advise you how to pay and confirm your sponsorship once you have done so. When the tree is planted, you will be sent you a certificate and a site map of your tree.

Please remember that, in order to give your tree its best chance of survival, it will only be planted during the winter planting season, when trees are dormant, which is between the start of December and the end of March.

Planting a tree in a brand new location

If you would like to plant a tree in a location where there is no site currently available, then please contact us and tell us where you have in mind (please try to be as as precise as possible about the location where you want the tree to be – e.g. an address or a street name with its postcode).

We will then invite the council to survey the site and see if it is suitable for a tree to be planted there; for example, if the pavement is wide wide enough and there are no underground services nearby that might prevent planting.

Planting woodland trees

If you would like to help plant woodlands, where smaller trees called whips are planted all together, then take a look at our sister, Replant Bristol ONE TREE PER EMPLOYEE offering.

* Tree species selection is overseen by the Council, as they need to protect the biodiversity of the city and ensure that the right tree is planted in the right place. However, tree officers are willing to consider possible alternative species you might suggest so long as these meet their selection criteria. For more information on this see our blog – Choosing trees for public spaces – how Bristol City Council do it.