Heatherwick Studio has designed a sculpture ‘Tree of Trees’ that symbolizes the joy of the Jubilee tree planting impacting the nation as a part of the Queen’s Green Canopy(QGC) – a non-profit initiative. The tree is an intriguing centerpiece of the Platinum Jubilee Weekend celebrations, inspiring the plantation of over a million trees during its first season, from October 2021 to March 2022.
A group of Junior Foresters of the Queen’s Green Canopy visited Buckingham palace to contribute to the completion of the last branches of the ‘Tree of Trees’. The final piece of the trunk was lifted and positioned at the top of the 21-meter sculpture. The tree will be illuminated as the Principal beacon during a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace on the evening of 2nd June Saturday.
The living sculpture Tree of Trees highlights the importance of trees and nature through this historic milestone to celebrate Her majesty who already has planted over 15,000 trees during her reign of 70 years all over the world. Junior foresters from Coppice Primary School and William Torbitt Primary School in Essex joined in as the project nears completion to help the placement of the last of the 350 British-grown trees. The sculpture is made with trees in aluminum pots decorated with Her Majesty’s cipher.
The process of adding pots to the branches helped children learn about the tree’s watering system working through the pipes directly going into each pot. The trees are decorated with LED lights by these junior foresters which will illuminate the Beacons ceremony. After the Jubilee weekend, the pots will be gifted to certain communities working towards a cleaner and greener environment. The QGC is closely working with Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenants of each country across the UK for selecting communities that work and inspire the next generation of tree planters. This will work towards living a legacy for the Platinum Jubilee.
The recipients of the pots from the Tree of Trees will be announced in due course and till then the trees will be stored during the summer. The distribution will be started around the planting season of October. Bloomberg Philanthropies is supporting the ‘Tree of Trees’ sculpture. The creation of the sculpture uses materials and talent from across the nation. To optimize the use of locally available materials and minimize the transportation cost and energy, materials are sourced from local suppliers across the UK.
Thomas Heatherwick – founder of Hetherwick studios shares how the Tree of Trees is sending out a simple message entailing the importance of trees and addresses them as the super-heroes of our towns and cities. He discusses how the team of welders, designers, fabricators, and arborists from across the country is a combined effort that aims to transform the landscape and also honors Her Majesty.
The 350 British Grown trees include Alder (Alnus glutinosa), Field Maple (Acer campestre), Hazel (Corylus avellana), Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), Larch (Larix decidua), Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), Silver Birch (Betula pendula), Small Leaved Lime (Tilia cordata), and Whitebeam (Sorbus aria).
Michael R. Bloomberg, the founder of Bloomberg L.P and Bloomberg Philanthropies, believes that this sculpture will act as a powerful symbol of the Queen’s leadership and what a community can achieve with combined efforts towards any cause. The design uses old surplus steel by Cleveland Steel in Yorkshire that reduces the embodied carbon to the minimum. The timber support, joists, and deck are certified by Forest Stewardship Council. The project is managed by Rise International and fabricated and installed by Millimeter in Hove.
