Hertfordshire County Council has surpassed its ambitious 100-day promise to support the planting of at least 101,000 trees this winter – with plans now in place to deliver over 113,000 trees across the county.

The pledge, set earlier in the year, aimed to accelerate progress towards a greener, more sustainable Hertfordshire. The latest figures show the council is on track to plant 20,000 more trees than last winter, effectively doubling the pace of planting promised by the new administration.

Much of the momentum comes from the expanding Your Tree Our Future scheme, which offers free trees to residents, community groups and businesses, as well as the council's Environmental Improvement Grants, which help landowners fund and design habitat-enhancing projects.

Cllr Paul Zukowskyj, Executive Member for Environment, Transport and Growth, said: "We set out an ambitious goal to ramp up tree planting across Hertfordshire, and I'm proud to say we've already gone beyond what we promised. But this isn't just about meeting targets – it's about driving meaningful, lasting change for our communities. Hertfordshire is a beautiful place to live, and with residents' help we can make it even more green and pleasant."

The council continues to work with landowners and partners to identify additional sites ahead of the main planting season, which begins in December.

Residents from Hitchin and beyond who applied for free trees this year will receive collection details shortly. Anyone who missed out can join the waiting list for next year's offer via the Your Tree Our Future webpage.

Tree planting forms a key part of Hertfordshire's wider strategy to boost biodiversity, improve air quality and strengthen the county's resilience to climate change.