Great Yarmouth households have the opportunity to discover trees this New Year with free guides from national environmental charity

The UK's leading publisher of nature guides, the charity Field Studies Council (FSC), is posting thousands of free easy-to-use guides throughout 2022 exclusively to residents in Great Yarmouth and six other coastal locations.

Residents of Great Yarmouth and next-door areas should register online by 10 January 2022 (opens new window) to receive their free guide to tree buds and bark in the post in the New Year. This will be followed by two more identification guides in summer and autumn about leaves and berries. 

Registration is open to anyone aged over 16 and groups helping local communities, including groups supporting 16-25 year olds. 

Residents receiving tree guides will join a community of like-minded people starting to study trees and help others. No experience is needed to use the guides, just curiosity and a keen eye. Each guide is filled with drawings and photos created by enthusiasts and experts to help residents learn about trees, their wellbeing and how they can protect them. 

Eco-Business Director of Field Studies Council Philip Turvil said: "The magnificence of urban trees isn't fully revealed until you really get to know what species are growing where and how they boost our wellbeing by giving colour, shade, wildlife and so much more. 

"The free tree identification and care guides from the Field Studies Council will help Great Yarmouth households grow their knowledge and connection to trees they live amongst in their gardens, streets and parks."

The distribution of free tree guides to residents of Great Yarmouth is part of a brand new programme led by Trees for Cities to increase tree canopy cover in smaller coastal cities and towns.

The Trees for Cities' programme, 'Forgotten Places: Greening Coastal Towns and Cities' is using £1.2M funding from the Green Recovery Challenge Fund to increase and improve tree cover in coastal towns and cities with lower-than-average tree canopy cover and high levels of socio-economic deprivation and enhance skills and knowledge about urban trees. 

Over 55,000 trees will be planted across 83 locations in 7 coastal towns and cities - including projects to celebrate the Queen's Green Canopy - and will be delivered through urban community tree planting events designed to revitalise 'forgotten' coastal urban areas. The project will engage local communities with nature through this transformational greening and inspire a new generation to plant and protect urban trees. 

Trees for Cities is working with the Field Studies Council, Treeconomics, Forest Research, and local delivery partners. The project is also part of The Queen's Green Canopy, a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Local residents will be invited to get involved and "Plant a Tree for the Jubilee". 

Registration for the free tree identification guides takes less than a minute on the charity's website and closes on 10 January 2022.