City of Trees

What City of Trees does

City of Trees is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity number 1202636) operating as the designated Community Forest for Greater Manchester within England's 15-member Community Forests network. Previously known as Red Rose Forest, the organization plants and manages trees across all ten Greater Manchester boroughs while engaging communities through its Citizen Forester volunteer programme, which engaged over 1,400 community volunteers and nearly 3,900 children in the most recent year. Core service lines include tree planting, woodland management, free trees for schools, the Green Jobs training programme, the Farmer Resilience Fund, and Biodiversity Net Gain services, all anchored by an in-house Urban Forestry Services contract team launched in early 2024 with six new foresters.

The organization's technical and operational capabilities rest on GIS mapping and spatial data analysis to prioritize planting sites based on heat exposure, tree cover, and inequality metrics. Its landmark i-Tree Eco survey, the largest ever conducted outside the United States, captured data from more than 6,000 trees across almost 2,000 sample plots, providing the evidence base for an estimated £33.3 million in annual economic value across air filtration, stormwater attenuation, and carbon sequestration. Specialist techniques include tree veteranisation using the Piglet precision tool (in partnership with TreeStation arborists) to accelerate habitat creation, and citizen science species monitoring across six flagship species in the Medlock Valley.

City of Trees operates a hybrid funding model combining government grants (Defra, Species Survival Fund, Trees for Climate, Green Recovery Challenge Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund), corporate partnerships (BUPA, Together, Clear Channel UK, Berghaus, TEP, Onward Homes), individual donations starting at £10 per tree, the £1,000/year 100 Trees Club subscription, Green Away Days at £50+VAT per person, and farmer/landowner services including the Farmer Resilience Fund providing fixed per-hectare payments over ten years. Go-to-market is multi-channel: community-led volunteer engagement, direct enterprise field sales to landowners and corporate partners, event-driven programming, and direct-to-consumer donations through the website. Recent strategic milestones include the September 2025 launch of 'All Our Trees – Greater Manchester's Urban Forest Plan', setting a ten-year target to grow canopy cover from 15% to 17%.

Name

City of Trees

Legal name

City of Trees Trust

Website

https://cityoftrees.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

City of Trees is the designated Community Forest for Greater Manchester, a registered charity that plants and manages urban trees, runs the Citizen Forester volunteer programme, and delivers free trees for schools, woodland management, Biodiversity Net Gain services, and corporate partnerships across all ten Greater Manchester boroughs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Forestry Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Landscaping Services (561730)

SIC

Forestry (800), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban & Community Reforestation / Street Tree Planting (AFAMACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tree Planting & Transplanting (HSAIADAE), Tree Health Care (Diagnosis, Treatment, Fertilization) (HSAIADAD), Tree Care & Arborist Services (IMAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Tree planting services
• Woodland management
• Urban forestry
• Community forestry
• Environmental conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-off and monthly donations from individuals starting at £10 per tree planting and maintenance. Processed through Stripe payment processor.
2. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorship: Long-term partnerships, cause related marketing, 100 Trees Club membership at £1000/year, Green Away Days at £50+VAT per person, environmental offsetting services, and B Corp support partnerships.
3. Landowner Services and Grant Facilitation: Facilitates Trees for Climate funding for landowners, Farmer Resilience Fund providing fixed per-hectare payments over ten years, and Biodiversity Net Gain habitat bank credit sales.
4. Government and Trust Funding: Funding from Defra, Species Survival Fund (£1.2 million for Medlock Valley), Trees for Climate programme, Green Recovery Challenge Fund, and National Lottery Heritage Fund for project delivery.
5. Cause Related Marketing: Partnerships with brands who donate for every sale (e.g., apparel brands, recruitment specialists planting a tree for every positive review).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

City of Trees is a registered charity operating as the Community Forest for Greater Manchester, delivering tree planting, woodland creation, and urban forestry services across the region. The organisation runs the Citizen Forester volunteer programme, schools programme, farmer resilience fund, biodiversity net gain services, green jobs programme, and corporate partnerships. It works with individuals, businesses, schools, landowners, and underserved communities to enhance and create green spaces.

Product overview

City of Trees is the Community Forest for Greater Manchester, operating as a single unified charity focused on planting trees, looking after trees, and promoting a culture of trees. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected services centered around urban forestry: tree planting and woodland management (core offerings), the Citizen Forester volunteer programme, free trees for schools, Green Jobs training, the Farmer Resilience Fund, Biodiversity Net Gain services, and Urban Forestry Services. These services work together to deliver the organization's mission of growing the urban forest across Greater Manchester's ten boroughs, engaging communities, landowners, businesses, and schools in tree planting and woodland management activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Citizen Forester Programme
• Free Trees for Schools
• Tree Planting and Woodland Creation Services
• Woodland Management and Maintenance
• Farmer Resilience Fund
• Biodiversity Net Gain Services
• Green Jobs Programme
• Corporate Partnerships and Green Away Days
• 100 Trees Club
• Green Spaces Fund

Quantifiable outcome

• Avoided stormwater runoff of 1,644,415 m³ per year equivalent to 657 Olympic-sized swimming pools
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered key, supporting and core.

• University of ManchesterkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2024Partnership for University's bicentenary year planting 200 trees across Greater Manchester. Donation made on behalf of international delegates at International Friends of Manchester Day.
• BerghaussupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 September 2022Outdoor clothing brand partnership through 'Real Action Heroes' campaign featuring City of Trees team member Zain to raise awareness of tree planting work in Greater Manchester.
• National TrustkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2022Partner in Castlefield Viaduct sky park project with City of Trees creating partner plot themed 'Trees - Past, Present and Future' showcasing trees significant in Manchester and Industrial Revolution.
• Walking With The WoundedsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2021Military charity running OP-REGEN volunteer programme with ex-servicemen and women planting thousands of trees across Greater Manchester city region.
• Groundwork Greater ManchestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in Medlock Valley restoration project managing 30 hectares across seven sites. Groundwork Greater Manchester coordinated community events and activities connecting local people with nature.
• TCV (The Conservation Volunteers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Medlock Valley restoration working alongside other partners to restore habitats and bring nature back into the landscape.
• Canal & River TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Medlock Valley project working on restoration work across the Aston and Rochdale canal network.
• Mersey Rivers TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Medlock Valley restoration project bringing nature back into the landscape through river and waterway improvements.
• Manchester City Council, Oldham Council, Tameside CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner councils in Medlock Valley restoration working in partnership to restore areas of the Medlock Valley and bring nature back into the landscape.
• TreeStationkeyTechnology or IntegrationManchester-based arborists with specialist knowledge and tools for tree veteranisation work. Partnership to hollow out trees and create wildlife habitats using the Piglet precision tool.
• Back on TracksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity supporting people who have experienced homelessness and mental health challenges. Partnership provided programme helping participants connect with their community and develop wellbeing.
• BUPAkeyGTM or Marketing PartnerBUPA Healthy Cities campaign partnership funding close to 5,750 trees and 20 Citizen Forester days across Greater Manchester. Trees planted on school grounds with children. BUPA team participated as Citizen Foresters.
• Onward HomeskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial housing provider planted 540 whips at three sites in Tameside and Bolton including Union Close in Hattersley. Also received 132 standard trees across 20 locations to enhance green spaces.
• Salford City RoosterssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRugby league club partnered to plant trees greening club grounds and increasing social value for local community, players and staff. Created woodland adjacent to Worsley Brook.
• Greater Manchester Combined AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in greening GM estate including fire station tree planting. City of Trees contributed to Greater Manchester Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
• Manchester Metropolitan UniversitykeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Voices of the Future - Treescapes research project with Tree of Hope Youth Research Group planting 'trees of hope' at Longford Park in Trafford.
• Teacher TappsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngland's largest daily teacher survey providing data on school heat conditions and the importance of tree shade in school playgrounds.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Trees for Cities: UK charity dedicated to urban tree planting and community engagement, operating city-wide greening programmes. Most directly comparable to City of Trees in mission (urban reforestation, volunteer engagement, school partnerships) though operating across multiple UK cities rather than a single region.
• The Conservation Volunteers (TCV): UK volunteering charity delivering practical conservation work including tree planting, woodland management, and green skills training. Direct peer given TCV is an active Medlock Valley delivery partner and shares the volunteer-led, place-based community forestry model.
• Groundwork UK: Federated environmental charity network running local trusts that deliver community green space projects. Directly comparable — Groundwork Greater Manchester is an active partner — sharing the model of place-based environmental regeneration, corporate partnerships, and community engagement.
• The Tree Council: UK charity championing trees through national Tree Week, school planting programmes, and Tree Warden networks. Comparable in mission around tree planting, school engagement, and community tree culture, though operates at UK-wide scale.
• Canal & River Trust: Charity caring for 2,000 miles of waterways in England and Wales, partnering with City of Trees on Medlock Valley restoration. Comparable in combining habitat restoration, volunteer mobilisation, corporate partnership fundraising, and free-to-access public green space.

Broad incumbents

• Woodland Trust: The UK's largest woodland conservation charity, managing over 1,000 sites and partnering with City of Trees on the Northern Forest initiative. Comparable as a major UK tree-planting and woodland steward, but operates nationally and across rural as well as urban contexts.
• Forestry England: Public body managing the nation's public forests. Overlaps with City of Trees on woodland creation, species monitoring, and conservation messaging, but is a much larger government-backed operator rather than a community charity.
• The Wildlife Trusts: Federation of 46 wildlife trusts managing nature reserves and running community conservation programmes. Comparable in operating local trusts delivering habitat creation, school engagement, and species monitoring, though with a broader biodiversity focus beyond trees.

Emerging players

• Heart of England Forest: Charity creating large native broadleaf forests in the heart of England. Comparable as a UK reforestation charity pursuing ambitious long-horizon planting targets, though focused on large-scale rural afforestation rather than urban/community forestry.

Regional players

• Northern Forest: Partnership project led by the Woodland Trust and four Community Forests (including City of Trees) to plant 50 million trees linking Liverpool to Hull. Directly comparable as a regional afforestation partnership, though Northern Forest is a multi-region initiative rather than a single-charity operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cityoftreesmcr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHHUPEkocPouQvfLlnkyKbw
• Facebookfacebook.com/cityoftreesmcr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-of-trees
• Instagraminstagram.com/cityoftreesmcr

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about City of Trees