Tree-mendous programme of tree-planting continues in Bucks
Buckinghamshire Council is making great progress in its ‘Bucks Tree Mission’ to plant half a million new trees (one for every resident), as part of its efforts to address climate change and boost the natural landscape of the county.
National Tree Week runs from 25 November to 3 December. It marks the start of the next tree planting season which finishes at the end of March. It’s a great time to take stock of what we’ve achieved so far and to let people know about some of the new tree planting projects coming up.
In the last twelve months, we’ve created new woodlands at Wing Woods near Leighton Buzzard and at Grange Farm and Bury Farm in the south of the county.
The site at Wing Woods, which is managed by Forestry England, includes 109,000 new trees with a further 23,000 trees being added in the coming months. Species planted include native trees such as common beech, common oak, silver birch and black poplar.
We have also secured over £264k from the Forestry Commission’s Local Authorities Treescape Fund. The fund aims to restore tree cover in non-woodland areas affected by disease, habitat loss or ageing tree stock. We will be working with partners including Earthwatch and ReLeaf Marlow on these exciting planting projects.
There will also be another 5,000 new trees planted across Buckinghamshire this season through various community projects, including some new, so-called, ‘Tiny Forests’. This involves planting up to 600 specially selected young native trees in a small, prepared area to encourage faster growth. Tiny Forests have already been planted at Princes Risborough and at Bourton Park in Buckingham and the new ones are being planted in ‘Opportunity Bucks’ areas in the county.
Opportunity Bucks is a flagship programme for the council, focussing on ten wards in Buckinghamshire to improve outcomes for the people who live there. Much work is being done to allow better access to all kinds of opportunities in these areas, from supporting residents into work and training, to improving the local environment, hence focussing these projects in these places. New Tiny Forests will be planted at Hamilton Academy, Brooker Recreation Ground, Totteridge Recreation Ground and Desborough Park in High Wycombe and at Walton Court in Aylesbury.
Gareth Williams, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment explained why the council’s tree planting programme is so important.
He said: “As we highlighted in our recent Climate Change Progress Report, trees play a pivotal role in our actions to address climate change in Buckinghamshire. Nature based solutions such as tree planting help improve biodiversity by creating more space for nature to grow and thrive while also helping to improve air quality; and they are the best way to sustainably sequester carbon for the long term.
“We are committed to a long-term programme of tree planting across the whole county and we are enormously grateful to the many partners, local groups and organisations who continue to support us with their efforts.”
Find out more about the what the council is doing to address the climate challenge visit: https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/campaign/bucks-climate-challenge/
For more information on National Tree Week visit: National Tree Week - join the UK's largest tree celebration (treecouncil.org.uk)
