10,000 trees being planted with help of new tree funding

More than 10,000 trees are being planted this winter in the first season of Devon County Council’s newly awarded Local Authority Treescapes Fund.

The community planting scheme is being rolled out across Devon this winter with the help of local not-for-profit social enterprise ParkLife South West.

This initiative is being carried out alongside the planting of 2,250 trees this season by landowners and communities who successfully applied to the Free Tree scheme.

It’s the third and final year that Devon has received support for the scheme through the Emergency Tree Fund granted by The Woodland Trust.

Since the council first piloted its Free Tree Scheme in 2019, and combining all of its tree planting initiatives, the council has planted just over 48,200 trees in total as part of its ongoing efforts to meet its carbon net zero targets by 2030.

Councillor Andrea Davis, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “With the help of our first award of Local Authority Treescapes Funding and the third year we’ve had the support from the Woodland Trust’s Emergency Tree Fund, we’re planting thousands more trees this winter, which will make a really positive difference for our county.

“Our community planting schemes are encouraging landowners and communities across Devon to plant native broadleaved trees which supports wildlife, improves our local landscapes and helps to reduce carbon emissions.”

To register interest in volunteering to help the tree planting co-ordinated by ParkLife, email parklifesw@gmail.com.