Efforts to ‘green the borough’ have hit several key milestones, according to Wokingham Borough Council.
The Tree Project, launched last year, outlined a strategy for the planting and maintenance of trees in the area as part of the council’s climate emergency action plan.
The executive member for planning and enforcement, Councillor Wayne Smith, said: “The Tree Project is gaining real momentum, with several early key milestones now achieved.
“I want to thank everyone who has already taken part, whether lending a hand with planting or offering a space, as well as to the Woodland Trust, whose £300,000 grant has helped fund the project.”
The project includes three schemes designed to promote climate action – the Garden Forest Scheme, the 250,000 tree project and the Tree Strategy.
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Garden Forest Scheme
Throughout December and January, residents were invited to apply for one or more trees to plant in their own garden. In that time, nearly 1,900 trees were requested by 850 residents.
Due to the high take-up, the council expects to open an additional round of applications later this year.
Tree Strategy
In November 2021, the council asked for their views on what should be included in a tree strategy with suggestions including developer responsibilities, tree protection orders and tree maintenance.
The feedback will be used to create a tree strategy for the borough, which is expected to be ready by the end of the year.
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The executive member for residents, communications and emissions, Councillor Gregor Murray, said: “We have ambitious aims to radically reduce our carbon emissions through our climate emergency action plan, and new tree planting plays a key role in this.
“We know some emissions are unavoidable, so are working to offset these through carbon sequestration, a process by which carbon dioxide is captured and stored through things such as trees and hedgerows.”
250,000 Tree Project
The project, which began in October 2021, will have seen over 15,000 trees planted by the end of this month.
This was achieved via a collaborative effort between community groups, volunteers, town and parish councils, schools and private landowners.
In the last week, trees and hedgerow have been planted at nine locations, including a new community orchard of 82 trees planted at Woosehill Meadows.
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The council is also launching a new scheme, Greening the Borough Together, which invites landowners to dedicate space to woodland or hedgerow.
“The more we plant, the better levels of carbon sequestration we can reach,” said Cllr Murray.
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