Nearly half of English neighbourhoods ‘have less than 10% tree cover’

Trees provide cooling in cities when water evaporates from their leaves. Photograph: Isabelle Plasschaert/Alamy

Nearly half of English neighbourhoods have less than 10% tree cover, with lower-income areas having far fewer trees than wealthier ones, analysis has found.

England’s tree cover is just 12.8%, according to the research by Friends of the Earth, with only 10% made up by woodland – paling in comparison with the EU, where woodland cover stands at 38%.