People living in and around Machynlleth will be able to collect a tree to plant at home, as part of an “ambitious give-away to fight climate change”.

The town is one of the first five regional locations where hubs will open as part of a pilot, that will see the release of the first 5,000 trees to local households.

Residents from Machynlleth and the surrounding area will be able to collect a tree, to be planted at home, from Wednesday, 2 March.

Welsh Government has teamed up with Coed Cadw, the Woodland Trust in Wales to deliver the project, My Tree, Our Forest.

The trees will be available to collect in two locations in Machynlleth – the outdoor market and Gerddi Bro Dyfi Community Gardens in the grounds of the Plas. The market collection will be open on Wednesday, 2 March, from 10am-2pm and Gerddi Bro Dyfi Community Gardens on Thursday 10, 17, 24 March and Saturday 12 March, all from 11am-3pm.

Every household that collects a tree will be provided with a tag that tells them how to effectively plant their tree and a link to a page on care and advice for their survival for the next few years.

Native tree species including crab apple, wild cherry, sessile oak, alder or downy birch will be provided as small tree saplings of around 20-40cm which will grow into small-medium sized trees, suitable for gardens and smaller spaces.

In autumn, and to coincide with the next tree planting season, the scheme will be extended to release more than 200,000 trees from 25 regional hubs across Wales.

If local people are unable to travel to the hub to collect their tree, from the autumn, My Tree, Our Forest will include the ‘Plant a Tree for Me’ initiative where a tree will be planted on their behalf at an agreed location in conjunction with the project’s community partners.

Speaking ahead of the regional hubs opening, Deputy Minister for Climate Change Lee Waters said: “It is great to kick off the start of this project that will be part of our commitment to reach net zero by 2050.

“Trees are amazing - they save lives by keeping our air clean, they improve people’s physical and mental health, they are essential for tackling our nature emergency, improving biodiversity and, of course, in tackling climate change.

“It is already clear to see that this project will help people further understand and experience the many benefits that trees can provide, not only to the environment but also to health and wellbeing.

“I would like to thank all involved at Coed Cadw for partnering with us to deliver this project and I look forward to seeing it extended later in the year.”

Natalie Buttriss, Director of Coed Cadw added: “We know from our experience of tree planting projects how much people care about the tree they are planting, and how this can inspire the whole family and their network of friends.”

To find out more about the first phase of the project and to make sure you’re first to know about the next collection, visit gov.wales/national-forest.