Plan to plant a tree for every person in county is given financial boost
PLANS to plant 700,000 trees across Leicestershire – one for each resident - have received a boost from the Forestry Commission which has handed over £216,000 from its Treescape fund.
Leicestershire County Council will use the cash to provide over 20,000 trees. Half of the money will be used to buy and plant the trees with the remainder funding the vital ongoing care of the saplings for the first few years after planting.
Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for the environment said: “This funding from the Forestry Commission is warmly welcomed and provides a huge boost to our pledge to plant a tree for each and every person in the county.
“Trees support wildlife and play a major part in helping to combat climate change, as well as adding beauty to our surroundings. We’ve been delighted with the support our scheme has received from parish and district councils, as well as local residents and we are looking forward to see Leicestershire become greener as the project continues.”
In line with the county council’s tree policy, various native species will be planted between next month and February 2022. These will include Oak, Wild Cherry, Silver Birch; Field Maple and both Blackthorn and Hawthorn.
The trees are planted as ‘whips’ – being around two years old and between 40 to 60cm tall. These will then need close attention for the first three years while they become established; with many needing watering, fertiliser and weed control.
Leicestershire County Council’s tree planting drive will support its pledge to become a carbon neutral council by 2030, as trees and woodlands play an important part in cleaning up the environment; providing clean, air, improving soil quality and reducing flooding.
And it’s not just the environment which will benefit – trees add beauty to villages and towns and research shows that a walk among trees reduces stress and improves mental wellbeing.
In rural areas of the county, mostly native species will be planted; but in more urban spots, consideration is also given to brightening up the landscape with more colourful trees or those which produce berries.
The spacing of the trees is also important. On grass verges, they will be widely spaced to provide individual impact; but in areas where new woodland is being created, the planting will be denser – around two metres between each tree, enabling the plants to support each other as they grow.
Many areas of scrubland are also to be created or improved with the addition of blackthorn and hawthorn. Scrubland is densely planted, creating thickets which provide an ideal environment for wildlife to flourish.
National Tree Week, the UK’s largest tree celebration, was recently held and this marks the start of the winter tree planting season.
The county council supported the week with a number of events, including a tree giveaway for local landowners and the planting of a tree at a Hinckley care home for the Queen’s Green Canopy by Vice Lord Lieutenant, Col Murray Colville.