Thousands of trees to mark the coronation of the king when creating woods and orchards

The Government today invited councils to tender for £2.5million pot grants to plant trees to help honor the accession to the throne of His Majesty King Charles

The monarch is a big fan of trees (

Image: PA)

Thousands of trees will be planted to mark the King's coronation, the government announced today.

Ministers have urged councils to table bids for tranches of money from a £2.5million fund 'celebrating Her Majesty's passion for the environment'.

Charles planted hundreds of trees when he was Prince of Wales and, according to the official royal website, after planting each tree, he grabs one of the branches, shakes it friendly and wishes it good luck. He even created an arboretum and planted a wood at Balmoral - naming it Prince George's Wood in honor of his eldest grandson.

King Charles and Prince William have planted hundreds of thousands of trees over the decades (

Picture:

PA)

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the latest scheme "will enable local authorities to create green spaces and connect communities to nature as a permanent reminder of the crowning glory, while helping to achieve the government's targets to triple tree planting rates by the end of this legislature and to have 16.5% of land covered in trees by 2050."

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Grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 will be available for 'community orchards'; "Miyawaki Woods", which involves "careful land preparation to quickly plant dense native forests that are usually the size of a tennis court"; "tree packs" for local residents and community groups; trees that farmers can plant on their land; and community crèches.

Chairman of the Forestry Commission, Sir William Worsley, said: "I am delighted that today we are opening the Coronation Living Heritage Fund to commemorate the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. This will enable communities to cultivate new diverse trees to enrich the environment in which people, wildlife and nature coexist for generations to come."

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said the trees would 'serve as a permanent reminder of Her Majesty's coronation in their region'. She added: "These new trees will mark Her Majesty's passion for trees and forests and provide a range of benefits to the natural environment - from carbon sequestration to creating habitats and improving human health and well-being."

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association said: 'Councils are eager to engage with communities to help make His Majesty King Charles III's plan a success. More investment in the planting trees are positive and will make a difference.

"Trees are so important in fighting climate change, improving biodiversity, helping to protect...