Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Barking up the right tree for woodlands project
Spring is in the air and primary school pupils are digging a project to create new woodlands in North Lanarkshire.
Throughout this month they have been busy planting trees at Strathclyde Country Park as part of the Climate Emergency Wood project.
One tree for every schoolaged child has been planted, to create new woodlands within country parks as well as at other greenspace sites in Calderbank and Low Wood, Cumbernauld.
It’s one of the activities pupils take part in during a week of outdoor activities during their last year at primary school.
North Lanarkshire Council leader Jim Logue, who proposed the project, and Councillor Michael Mcpake, convener of the environment and transportation committee, joined P7 pupils from St Aidan’s Primary School in Wishaw to help with the planting.
“Since the council declared a climate emergency in 2019, we have been identifying ways to reduce carbon emissions and improve our environment, and the tree planting project is an important part of our work,” said Councillor Logue.
“Creating woodlands with their own ecosystems will provide wider biodiversity benefits for woodland species and become part of a habitat network, allowing wildlife to move through the area, which is increasingly important in addressing climate change.”
A total of 40,000 native trees including Downy birch, Sessile oak, Common alder, Rowan, Gean, Hazel and Hawthorn have been planted at the sites across North Lanarkshire.
Avenues of trees have also been created at Drumpellier and Palacerigg country parks, as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
At Palacerigg, the trees will be planted along a new footpath at the front of the park, while at Drumpellier the trees will be planted at Drumpellier Avenue, off Blair Road.