Tree for every Warwickshire resident to be planted in efforts to combat climate change
The plans come as world leaders meet for the COP26 climate conference
Warwickshire County Council is committing to plant a tree for every resident across the county, as part of efforts to tackle climate change.
The ambitious tree planting plans come as world leaders gather in Glasgow for the COP26 climate conference.
The proposed tree planting in Warwickshire has been planned to restore parts of forests and wooded areas that have been lost over time - these include the ancient Forest of Arden, which once covered most of the county and beyond into Staffordshire and Worcestershire.
In order to meet the targets, the council has been successful in its bid for £212k from the Forestry Commission's Local Authority Treescape Fund to plant 2000 standard trees. These native trees will be restoring hedgerows on local authority-owned farms and public open spaces in the more rural areas of the county.
The plans will play a role in the council's wider commitment to address the global climate change emergency.
Cllr Heather Timms, Portfolio Holder for Heritage, Culture and the Environment, said: “There are no greater challenges facing humanity than those posed by the climate emergency. The response to this crisis cannot be met by local or national governments acting alone. It will require a concerted effort by all of us, making changes, large and small, to reverse the damage that we have done to our planet and its ecosystems. Tree planting will be integral to this response.
“There are few better demonstrations of our commitment, as local authorities in Warwickshire, to play our part in addressing the climate emergency than our coming together with a commitment to plant a native tree for each of our residents.
“The Woodlands Trust have stated that to meet the UK’s carbon net-zero target, it will need to plant a million more trees across the country. In Warwickshire, we are now committed to playing our part in planting close to half that amount.”