Trees Are The Key Awareness Week 2026

Trees Are The Key

Awareness Week

16-22 March 2026

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Here at Word Forest, we have always believed that trees are far more than a climate solution. They are anchors for communities, protectors of soil and water, homes for biodiversity, and a source of hope for future generations. Since 2022, we have marked the full week containing 21^st March, the UN’s International Day of Forests, as Trees Are The Key Awareness Week. In 2026, we are proud to be opening this week up as a shared space for organisations, groups and individuals who are working, in many different ways, to protect and restore trees.

The 21st of March holds special meaning for us. It is International Day of Forests, and it is also the birthday of our co-founder Tracey West, whose vision helped bring Trees Are The Key Awareness Week into being. What began as a Word Forest initiative has grown into something bigger. This year, we are delighted to be standing alongside other charities, community groups, researchers and practitioners who share a belief that trees are central to a healthier, fairer planet.

Word Forest’s own work focuses primarily on Kenya. Trees grow much more rapidly near the equator, locking away carbon far faster than in temperate regions. Just as importantly, community-led tree planting supports livelihoods through fruit, nuts and other sustainable products, offering a real alternative to environmentally damaging practices such as charcoal production. Access to land for planting is also far more readily available. At the same time, we are keenly aware that excellent work is happening elsewhere. Across the UK and around the world, organisations are restoring woodlands, protecting ancient forests, growing community orchards, greening schools and rethinking how we live alongside trees. This week is about celebrating all of that.

Kenya reached 12 percent tree cover in 2022 and has set an ambitious target of 20 percent by 2030. UK tree cover stood at around 13 percent in the same year, with significant regional variation. Progress is being made, but it is clear that continued effort, collaboration and public engagement are essential.

Throughout Trees Are The Key Awareness Week 2026, we will be sharing articles, stories and learning resources, alongside contributions from partner organisations. We invite you to explore the website each day, take part in our Sapling Hunt, watch or revisit our documentary Trees Are The Key, and discover the many ways people are caring for trees across different landscapes and cultures.

Most of all, we invite you to join the conversation. Share what you are doing, learn from others, and help amplify the message that trees really are the key to climate resilience, biodiversity and community wellbeing.

Thank you for being part of this growing movement.

The Word Forest Team

How Organisations can get Involved

Trees Are The Key Awareness Week is designed as a shared awareness moment for charities, community groups, businesses, schools, and other organisations. Participation is flexible, and there are no fundraising or reporting obligations, just simple ways to help amplify the importance of trees and forests.

Organisations can get involved in one or more of the following ways:

Share content and stories

- Post on your website or social channels using the hashtag #TreesAreTheKey.
- Share our prepared graphics, sample posts, or short articles.

Add a website badge

- Display a Trees Are The Key Awareness Week badge on your homepage or news pages.
- Badges link directly to the main awareness week hub at Word Forest.

Contribute to the Sapling Hunt

- Encourage your audiences to take part in our Sapling Hunt.
- You can support by offering small prizes, or simply by promoting the activity.

Send a short message, quote or photo

- Submit one short piece of content showcasing your tree or forest work.
- We may feature your organisation in a collaborative post during the week.

Provide in-kind support or publicity

- Promote the week through your newsletters, blogs, or social media.
- Offer prizes or other contributions for activities during the week.

Participation is designed to be easy, collaborative, and visible. Simply let us know by Friday 27 February 2026 if your organisation would like to take part, and we’ll provide everything you need to join in, from website badges to press release samples.

Together, we can amplify the message that trees are key to climate resilience, biodiversity, and thriving communities.

My organisation would like to get involved:

There’s no sense in destroying the forests, none at all. It’s insanity! Can you make All Big Business join your awareness week to have some sense driven into them?

Charles Weston

I spend as much time in the quiet presence of the trees in my garden as I can and I’m reminded that even in solitude, there is a hidden power and I draw so much from that quiet time.

Ollie Anderson

I find the quiet companionship of trees gives me deep solace when I'm alone. It’s also a source of endless inspiration when I'm with my husband. The silent strength and grace of trees reminds me of the extraordinary beauty in the simple act of being amongst them.

Sophia Rodriguez

When I walk amongst the trees I feel totally boosted by the sense of wonder that floods my heart. It’s almost as if every leaf is literally whispering to me!

Andi Carson

When I’m running in the park, I feel like with every breath of air I draw in, I feel fed and replenished. It’s like the very essence of life is lifting me higher and pushing me on.

Charlie Taylor

I’m planning to take the family to one of the national forests this week. We love them! The kids get to run themselves ragged and I drink in the profound sense of upliftment just being around those amazing towering trees.

Olivia Thompson

The biodiversity harboured within the world’s forests is irreplaceable. Trees offer vital habitats for countless species and it’s really depressing to hear so many creatures are on the decline because of some greedy humans who are still hell bent on deforestation and the destruction of the natural world.

Ben Merton

Birds love trees. I love them too. I cannot imagine my life without them and I don’t want to.

Andy Mason

I don’t afford myself enough time to chill out in the forest but when I do, the whispers of leaves and the rustle of branches speak volumes to me. They echo the stories of generations past and inspire dreams of a future intertwined with the rhythms of the natural world.

Scarlet Thompson

Towering trees uplift me and their branches reaching for the sky are a reminder that growth knows no bounds.

Joseph Harris

Whenever I’m in the presence of trees, I can't help but feel a profound sense of connection to Mother Nature's wisdom, reminding me that growth, resilience and beauty can thrive even in the harshest of environments.

Marcus Santos

The buzz that you get from being near trees is immense. I’m always uplifted by the sense of peace that fills my soul. I made a decision earlier this year to spend more time around trees. They’re like the best free medicine!

Alexander Jones

I remember as a kid going down the park after school and getting filthy from climbing trees and messing around with my mates. I’d give anything to be able to climb one again but the memories of it will never leave my head and that will do nicely.

Eddie Jonson

The forests were here before us and they will endure long after we are gone. Ancient woodlands hold the secret of serenity; we would do well to try to understand the pace of life for trees. In all of our hurry and bustle, it is good to spend time among the trees and just... breathe.

Simon West

When we got married, our friends and family paid for a little forest to be planted in Kenya to commemorate our connection with each other and our beautiful planet. It’s a little legacy and I’m chuffed to think it’ll long outlive us both.

Tracey West

With every step I take into our local woods, I feel comforted and calmed at the same time. It’s almost as if the earth itself is walking alongside me, lifting my worries away.

Mia Martin

My day to day is way too busy with the bustling noise of modern life. But the serenity I find beneath the canopy of trees gives me solace and invites creativity. It’s like a rekindling of my spirit.

Ethan Nguyen

I’ve always appreciated the fact that forests are the lungs of our planet. Beside what they do for Earth though, I need them personally to centre myself and to feel a proper connection to nature.

Mary North

I feel that trees stand as silent witnesses to the passage of time. Their steadfast presence is a reminder that amidst life's chaos, there exists a sanctuary of peace and renewal. This week, I intend to seek out more of that inner peace around trees.

Ava Lee

We all know that forests are vital for the health and well-being of everything and everyone. I’m using my time on the planet to reinforce that message and to protect trees in as many places as I can.

Pia Walker

Mother Nature is phenomenal. Trees and forests are some of her finest creations and I seriously don’t understand why more of the world’s governments don’t have measures in place to protect them. Why is the Amazon being devastated? There’s no sense in it. We must do more to protect trees everywhere.

Martin Simmons