At the time a new, virulent strain of Dutch Elm Disease was sweeping the country, killing millions of trees.
He formally proposed the idea in a parliamentary question to Peter Walker, the Secretary of State for the Environment on 28 July 1971,[1] who announced his backing on 1 March 1972.
[2] As a result, a committee was set up to run the campaign, chaired by Lord Sandford.
The Forestry Commission donated some 90,000 trees to schools and a further 70,000 for joint projects with local authorities,[4] as did other organisations including the Crown Estate Commissioners.
This featured in the BBC radio comedy series I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, but may have originated elsewhere.