COMMUNITIES across Somerset are being encouraged to plant new trees in the coming months to help create new woods and improve tree cover in urban areas.

Around eight per cent of Somerset is currently covered by trees – far below the national average of 13 per cent.

Somerset Council launched its tree strategy in June 2023, which intended to bring the tree cover up to the national average by planting 240 hectares (93 square miles) of trees every year up to 2033.

The council is now encouraging schools, churches, residents’ associations and other community groups to “root for Somerset” and plant trees in their area, with the Woodland Trust providing free saplings until the end of August.