Over 500 TREEasons to be happy

Date Added: 30/05/2022

More than 500 trees planted as part of the Local Authority Treescapes Fund

To continue our sustainability push – and promote the ‘green’ agenda so important to residents – we have planted in excess of 500 trees.

The urban tree planting programme aims to make communities more attractive and support them to grow in a sustainable way. This latest planting is part of the our wider tree planting programmes (including community grants, highways, tree giveaways and countryside sites) which since the 2020-2022 planting seasons, has delivered over 18,000 trees and over 3,000m of hedgerow

522 trees were planted in the tree planting season (October 2021 to March 2022) through £300,000 in funding from the Forestry Commission’s Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF) which we match funded.

The LATF fund supports the purchase and care of trees for three years to help them establish, with the aim to increase tree planting and natural regeneration in communities.

The benefits of tree planting include:
·       Supporting wildlife and improving biodiversity
·       Helping to reduce the impact of air pollution
·       Offsets CO2 emissions
·       Tackles climate change
·       Provides shaded areas and helps make urban areas cooler in hot weather
·       Helps reduce flood risk
·       Makes our neighbourhoods more attractive and nicer places to live
·       Benefits people’s mental health and encourages outdoor exercise

Between October 2022 and March 2023, in line with the tree planting season, we will carry out more tree planting. This will include some drought resistant tree species, which can cope with climate changes in the coming decades to ensure Central Bedfordshire has a resilient tree stock.

We will also be holding more tree giveaways for residents in towns across Central Bedfordshire in the Autumn.