Dozens of new street trees have been planted in Whitleigh as Plymouth City Council continues its winter planting programme and publishes updated Tree Management Principles for the city.
The scheme focuses on Taunton Avenue and surrounding streets, with a community planting event held on the Brentford Avenue green space. Residents and volunteers joined council teams and representatives from the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest to add 17 new standard trees to the area.
The planting includes a staggered row of silver birch and Norway maple along the lower boundary of the field, a standalone oak in a central position, and a new community orchard of eight mixed-variety fruit trees designed to become a shared neighbourhood resource. A further 26 trees are scheduled to be planted on nearby streets as part of the wider scheme.
Councillor Tom Briars-Delve attended the event and joined residents in planting trees. He said it was important that the new additions, alongside the city’s nearly 400,000 existing trees, are cared for over the long term.
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Plymouth City Council is celebrating planting 4,000 trees since November 2023.
The planting took place in the same week that the council published its updated Tree Management Principles. The document sets out a framework for how trees under council stewardship will be planned, planted, maintained and, where necessary, removed.
It defines clear criteria for tree works such as felling, pruning and replacement, and outlines how tree management should be integrated with planning, highways and infrastructure projects. The updated principles also emphasise transparency, community engagement and a commitment to improving canopy cover and biodiversity across all parts of the city.
Trees in Plymouth are estimated to deliver around £4.6 million each year in ecosystem services, including carbon capture, air quality improvements, flood mitigation and urban cooling. The updated guidance aims to safeguard these benefits at a time when trees face increasing pressures from development, climate change and financial constraints on local authorities.
Since its launch in 2020, the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest has supported the planting of around 59,000 trees in Plymouth and approximately 390,000 across the wider area.
More information about the Community Forest and how to get involved is available at www.psdcf.com
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