The 10 Bristol neighbourhoods with the most trees including Stapleton and Clifton Village

England’s “woefully inadequate” tree planting targets must double by 2050 to help tackle the climate crisis, with a focus on planting in the most deprived parts of the country, a new report has warned.

Research carried out by charity Friends of the Earth shows 12.8% of England is currently covered by trees, with woodland areas covering 10% – far lower than the 38% of land that is covered by woodland in the European Union. The charity says the government’s existing goal for boosting tree numbers would see tree cover rise to just 16.5% by 2050 – still significantly lower than average levels across the EU.

The campaigners said a more “ambitious” target is needed to boost tree numbers, which would benefit the interlinked climate, nature and public health crises. It also claimed it would stop reliance on timber and wood imports from the likes of Russia and China, which have a “devastating” impact on the environment.

Poorer communities are much more likely than wealthier ones to be missing out on the advantages brought by trees, the charity said, which can include temperature regulation during heatwaves, better air quality through filtering pollution, and improved mental health.

The analysis highlighted the wide geographical imbalances in tree coverage, with poorer communities missing out. Overall, almost half (43%) of neighbourhoods in England have less than 10% tree canopy cover. South Holland in Lincolnshire was found to have the lowest tree cover in the country at only 2.2%, while Surrey Heath in Surrey ranked the highest with 36.1%.

BristolWorld has had a look at the 10 Bristol neighbourhoods with the highest tree cover in the city. The area with the most trees ranks highly in the UK with 34.2% coverage.