By Des Hackett, Urban Forestry Manager

Tree equity is at the heart of our urban forestry funding, guiding where support goes to make the biggest difference.

Future Woodlands Scotland recently announced the award of over £450,000 to seven new projects that will bring more trees, woodlands and green spaces to Scotland’s towns and cities 

These new grants build on three earlier awards from this year and two pilot projects in 2024. With this latest round, a total of 12 projects have now been supported through the Urban Forestry Challenge Fund.  

Guided by Tree Equity principles 

Our funding decisions are shaped by a strong commitment to tree equity—the idea that everyone, regardless of where they live, should have fair access to the benefits of trees and green spaces. 

We believe we are the first organisation in the UK to use the Tree Equity Score tool—developed by American Forests and introduced in the UK by The Woodland Trust—to directly inform our funding decisions.  This data-led approach helps us identify the urban areas where new tree planting will make the biggest difference for health, climate resilience, and social equity. 

We’ve also aligned our Urban Forestry Programme with the 3-30-300 rule, developed by Professor Cecil Konijnendijk of the Nature Based Solutions Institute. The rule sets a bold vision for tree equity: 

• every person should be able to see at least three trees from their home or workplace 

• every neighbourhood should have a minimum of 30% tree canopy cover 

• every home should be within 300 metres of high-quality greenspace. 

Communities at the heart of urban greening 

The funded projects are being delivered by community groups, schools, and local authorities  – organisations that share our goal of creating greener, healthier places to live. Trees will be planted in  streets, parks, school grounds, and community spaces, helping reconnect people with nature and improve overall quality of life in urban areas.  

By applying both the Tree Equity Score and the 3-30-300 vision, we’re taking a more targeted, evidence-based approach to urban greening—ensuring our funding delivers maximum impact for people, place, and planet. 

Funding opportunities in 2025 

We plan to fund many more projects in the coming years, and our next round of the Urban Forestry Challenge Fund will open for applications in November 2025. We’ll be looking to support well-thought-out projects where Tree Equity is a clear and measurable outcome. Grants of up to £100,000 will be available for delivery over a maximum of three years. 

Visit our page on the Urban Forestry Programme to find out more.

Images:

Edible Estates, one of the projects we’re funding in the 2024 Challenge Fund

30|300|300 image by UNECE 2023