Watford Borough Council is continuing its work to green the town by planting more than 50 trees across parks and open spaces this year...
The programme builds on the council’s success in surpassing its target of planting 20,000 trees by 2026. The new trees, planted in partnership with Veolia, Groundwork and local residents, have been planted across 16 parks and open spaces throughout the town and will help improve air quality, support wildlife and create more attractive green spaces for residents and visitors.
Through the Veolia Orchard initiative, five fruit trees are being provided for Watford Fields, via the Watford Fields Residents Association, and Oxhey Park, through the Friends of Oxhey Park group. Alongside three fruit trees provided by the council, Watford Fields will receive eight fruit trees in total, creating a new community orchard.
Meanwhile, 15 trees are being planted along the River Colne as part of the Radlett Road improvements through the Rediscovering the River Colne programme, helping strengthen riverside habitats.
The planting programme follows the success of the Your Tree Our Future initiative, where 5,000 trees were claimed by residents in December 2025 through a giveaway delivered in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council, enabling households to plant trees in their own gardens.
Further support will come through Watford Football Club, with 50p from every away shirt sold this season going towards funding more trees through the Your Tree Our Future scheme in 2026. For more information about the scheme and to join the wait list for 2026, visit: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/yourtree.
Watford’s tree planting programme has already increased the town’s canopy cover to 26% — around 9–10% higher than the national average. This exceeds the tree planting targets set by the council’s Environmental Strategy 2023-2030 and Tree and Woodland Strategy 2020-2030.
The initiative also contributes to Hertfordshire’s wider goal of planting 1.8 million trees by 2030, with the trees expected to remove around 125,000 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere over their lifetime.
Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said: “Planting trees is one of the simplest and most effective ways to improve our environment and make Watford an even greener place to live.
“I’m really pleased that we’ve already exceeded our target of planting 20,000 trees and are continuing to build on that success across our parks, open spaces and along the River Colne. These trees will improve air quality, support wildlife and create greener neighbourhoods for residents now and in the future.”
Cllr Tim Williams, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services at Watford Borough Council, said: “Planting more trees helps make Watford greener, supports wildlife and improves the environment for residents. It’s great to see new trees being added across our parks and open spaces with support from local partners and community groups.”
Darren Harding, Senior Contract Manager at Veolia, said: “As the council's environmental services partner, we're committed to supporting their ambition to create a greener borough. Through our Veolia Orchard programme, we’re proud to donate fruit trees that will support local biodiversity and community wellbeing, with our dedicated parks team planting them and continuing to care for them throughout their lifetime.”
Tree planting locations have been guided by resident suggestions, helping ensure the programme reflects community priorities. Residents can continue to suggest locations for new trees throughout the year by visiting: www.watford.gov.uk/treeplanting
