Planting trees to boost biodiversity

UKAS volunteers rolled up their sleeves at a children’s adventure park in Hounslow, greater London, where they helped to plant native species to improve tree cover in a built-up, urban environment. 

Volunteers Saskia Clarke, Jack Gates, Lydia Hunt, Emily Robinson and Nia Somner spent the day at the reforestation site in Hobbledown Heath to plant some of the 350 trees funded by UKAS to celebrate both World Accreditation Day 2025 and our 30th anniversary. 

To plant the anniversary trees, UKAS partnered with Treeapp – a global tree planting organisation that runs reforestation schemes to boost biodiversity and take meaningful climate action. This work makes a positive environmental, social and economic impact that is aligned to the UN sustainability goals. 

The site in Hounslow was chosen as it is close to UKAS’s head office in Staines and offers an opportunity for local school children to learn more about trees in outreach programmes and to enjoy a greener, healthier environment. 

Sustainability Lead at Treeapp, Emily Douglas, explains: “The site was historically a brownfield industrial site, leading to poor soil health. By planting trees, over time this will rehabilitate the soil by binding together the soil structure with the roots and creating channels for water to penetrate deeper into the soil. Our work will also contribute to SDG 15, Life on Land, by creating winding new wildlife corridors through the site; while planting species such as spindle and wild cherry will provide winter food sources for birds and mammals as well as nectar for pollinators. Our work will also contribute to SDG 11, Sustainable Communities, by integrating tree planting into the site for the community to enjoy and will also improve air quality in the long-term – which is particularly important due to the site’s proximity to Heathrow Airport.” 

UKAS’s funding of 350 trees at the site – one for each employee in 2025 – will result in 38.15 tonnes of CO2 being absorbed by the trees across their lifetime; four workdays created for local communities; and 2334.50 M2 of land reforested. 

All UKAS employees are entitled to a day of paid leave when they volunteer for a charity or local community group. 

Speaking about the day, Jack says: “It was very refreshing to spend the day outdoors surrounded by greenery. We learnt a lot about reforestation and rewilding projects and how even a project as small as planting a hedgerow can enable different species to flourish.  

“I love being outdoors and rewilding and reforestation is something that’s close to my heart. The most obvious benefit to planting trees is that the more we plant, the more carbon we can capture and the better this is for all our futures as it mitigates the effects of climate change. Increasing our forest cover also creates new habitats where everything from fungi and insects to plant life and small mammals can flourish.  

“To have the chance to be involved with this project felt like a huge privilege as even a small-scale planting project takes a big step towards helping people in the local community reconnect with nature and understand its importance.” 

Lydia, who is a regular volunteer at Bedfont Lakes nature reserve, adds: “The Treeapp team was very knowledgeable and gave us lots of information about the trees we were planting and the best way to treat them before they go into the ground. We joined volunteers from other local companies and everyone was enthusiastic about why they were there.”