Nearly 2,000 sapling trees have been ordered by Young Farmers Clubs in support of the #ProtectYourFuture campaign and clubs are being urged to place final orders before the end of June.

The campaign, which was launched in February, is calling on Young Farmers Clubs (YFCs) to plant a tree per member in 2019 to show their commitment to safeguarding the environment for future generations.

While only four counties have officially applied for trees so far, many more are working on their applications. The advice for clubs and counties though, from personal development chairman Marcus Bailey, is to hurry and apply.

Mr Bailey said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for YFC members to show how committed young farmers are to protecting the environment. The Woodland Trust only has a certain amount of sapling trees available so clubs wanting to get involved need to place their orders before the end of June.”

Among those County Federations that have ordered sapling trees are Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Somerset.

Jack Nicholls, an arborist from Wedmore YFC, is behind the campaign push in Somerset and applied for 420 sapling trees.

Jack said: “I work as an arborist but I'm passionate about wildlife conservation, tree planting and climate change, so I am really trying to push this project to the max. I have found multiple sites to plant our trees including local playing fields, parish council land and The Orchard Vale Trust – a centre supporting adults with learning disabilities.

While the sapling trees won't be planted until November, clubs need to leave enough time to find suitable sites for planting, so are advised to get involved as soon as possible.