Making Every Tree Count: Celebrating 10 Years of I Dig Trees with TCV and LANDARNA
Case Study
10 years. Millions of trees. Thousands of volunteers. One growing legacy.
This year marks a decade since I Dig Trees—The Conservation Volunteers’ flagship programme—took root. Now the UK’s largest volunteer-led tree planting initiative, it has united communities in an extraordinary effort to tackle climate change, boost biodiversity, and connect people with nature.
To celebrate this milestone, we’re thrilled to share how 3ADAPT and our LANDARNA platform are helping to capture the deeper story behind these trees—bringing data and digital innovation to the heart of grassroots climate action.
From Planting Trees to Building Insight
This year, we partnered with The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) to create a new digital platform that transforms how tree planting data is collected, visualised, and reported—giving volunteers, partners and programme leads new tools to understand and amplify their impact.
Here’s how it works:
Smarter Volunteer Engagement
Each tree planting request now generates a unique, scannable code—making it easy for volunteers to log who planted, where, and what went in the ground. It’s never been simpler to revisit sites or collect meaningful follow-up data.Mapping Planting Sites with Precision
Volunteers can draw precise planting boundaries directly in the field and upload site photos, tree types and pack details. Everything is stored in one place—ready to be analysed, visualised, or even shared to social media.Integrated Impact Forecasting
Through LANDARNA’s modelling capabilities, every tree planted feeds into a live forecast of future environmental benefits—from carbon sequestration to biodiversity uplift.Citizen Science Made Easy
Volunteers are prompted to return and monitor tree health, survival rates, and site conditions—building a long-term picture of success and helping TCV prioritise where support is most needed.Dynamic Reporting at Any Scale
All data can be viewed through the LANDARNA app, giving instant access to insights from a single site to thousands nationwide. No spreadsheets. No guesswork.
“This partnership with 3ADAPT marks a real step forward in how we support and showcase the power of community action. We now have the tools to show—clearly and credibly—how every volunteer and every tree contributes to a better future.”
What’s Next?
We’re only just getting started. Over the coming months, we’ll be working with TCV to launch:
Personalised Volunteer Impact Reports – Showcasing the individual and collective impact of each planting event.
Interactive Tree Planting Maps – Bringing the UK’s I Dig Trees network to life.
Regional Impact Dashboards – Equipping local authorities and funders with targeted insights.
See the Platform in Action
TCV recently marked the 10-year milestone with a commemorative video—featuring LANDARNA in use during a real-life field inspection. It’s a powerful reminder of what happens when people and technology come together with purpose.
Want to Learn More?
If you're part of a local authority, community group or organisation interested in tracking and improving the impact of your own land-based projects, we’d love to hear from you.
Dr Phil Hampshire
Contact Phil who has led this work at 3ADAPT, to explore how LANDARNA could support your goals.