Meet David Elliott, CEO of Trees for Cities, a UK tree-planting charity

“I don’t think humans have yet created an art form that can parallel nature, just from an aesthetic perspective, it makes our lives better” - David Elliott

Meet David Elliott, the CEO of Trees for Cities, a UK charity working at national and international scale to improve lives in local urban communities by planting trees. David has a passion for the great outdoors and always wanted to work for an environmental organisations, and he joined Trees for Cities 6 years ago.

In this episode of Nature Connections, David demystifies tree-planting, helping us understand why it's important to plant trees in cities and what the benefits are for the environment and for local communities. He shares with us the complexity in planting trees and why it's important that it's done responsibly. David also shares his thoughts on the rise of scientific research around the impact of nature on our wellbeing and how this has contributed - along with the pandemic- to bringing trees and green spaces in cities to the top of political, social and environmental agendas. Finally, we discuss the positive impact that physically planting a tree yourself and caring for it has on people's wellbeing and connection to nature.

Listen to this episode to learn more about tree-planting benefits to us and the environment, what it takes for a tree to be planted responsibly and sustainably, and how to identify tree-planting initiatives to support. If you're interested in learning more about Trees for Cities, or even volunteering at a tree-planting event, head to their website https://www.treesforcities.org/.