A total of 2,800 new trees are being planted throughout the city between now and spring 2024 as part of the Plymouth Tree Challenge.
The £1.3 million investment from the council’s Capital Programme includes £425k funding from the Forestry Commission’s Urban Tree Challenge Fund and £120k from the Plan for Trees partners.
The 2,800 new trees will be added to the 394,000 trees that are already contained throughout Plymouth, and will be in fully accessible public places such as parks and open spaces, road verges, residential streets and outside housing developments.
The investment will also establish an action plan to mitigate the impact of Ash Dieback, a destructive disease that presents a significant risk to the loss of trees in the city.
Introducing more trees to Plymouth’s existing green coverage (52 per cent of total land) will help deliver on its Climate Emergency commitments by reducing C02 emissions, absorbing pollution and improving air quality.
Greening programmes also have many other benefits that include providing habitat for wildlife, improving urban aesthetics and benefitting the mental health of residents.
The newly established trees will be supported by the principles of the Plan for Trees which help trees in urban areas become fit for purpose, resilient to the challenges of climate change and disease, and adaptable to whatever new challenges the future may hold.
There are four themes to the Plan for Trees:
• To promote the benefits and value of trees through education and encouraging best practice
• To protect Plymouth’s special trees and woodlands for future generations
• To care for trees by practicing and promoting good tree and woodland management
• To enhance urban areas by increasing tree canopy cover.
Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Scene – Councillor Sue Dann said:
“Our tree programme not only commits to establishing new trees but also supports our existing trees, making sure they are suitably nurtured, ensuring communities get their full benefits.
“This is a yet another step for the council and our partners towards achieving a carbon neutral city by 2030.”
