To mark the end of tree planting season, during which over 600 new trees have found their way into communities across South Gloucestershire, the council has teamed up with local volunteers to give three 8-year-old oak trees a new home.
South Gloucestershire Council’s tree team has been hard at work this season planting new trees across South Gloucestershire as well as replacing those lost to ash dieback. Over half of the new trees were planted in and around Dodington and Staple Hill, with other planting taking place along verges and roadsides in Severn Beach, Downend, Yate and Alveston, and open spaces including Mead Park (Stoke Gifford), Windsor Place playing fields (Mangotsfield), Chill Wood (Iron Acton) and Rodway Common (Emersons Green).
As part of this work, a number of planting events were arranged with local communities, schools, businesses and parish councils, and the council has also been supporting the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative (https://queensgreencanopy.org/).
One of these community events took place on Friday 4 March at Southey Park in Kingswood where Leader of South Gloucestershire Council Cllr Toby Savage and Kingswood MP Chris Skidmore were joined by members of the Friends of Southey Park to plant the three oak trees – two English oaks and one Hungarian oak.
Cllr Toby Savage, Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, said: “As part of its ongoing leadership in the local response to the climate emergency, the council has dedicated to doubling tree cover in the district and new planting is an important part of ensuring this. Working with our communities will be a key element to help achieve our target, and it is fantastic that we have the support of local residents and organisations across South Gloucestershire like the Friends of Southey Park.”
Kingswood MP Chris Skidmore said: “Our local parks and public spaces have become dearer to us than ever following the pandemic and I am delighted to have been able to join Cllr Savage and the Friends of Southey Park in helping to bring a little more nature to our community. As the local MP I am keen to help support local efforts to improve public open spaces for local people to enjoy whilst preserving and enhancing local nature and the fact this is linked to an initiative that is celebrating Her Majesty’s landmark jubilee makes it that much more special.”
Friends of Southey Park member Tina Sheppard said: “It was great to be able to join the planting and I want to thank the council for supplying these fantastic new trees which we trust will grow to become beautiful features of the park entrance in years to come. It is important we are continuing to plant more trees in public green spaces like Southey Park and we look forward to future work with the council in future planting sessions.”
Increasing tree canopy cover in South Gloucestershire is a large part of South Gloucestershire Council’s Climate and Nature Emergency Action Plan to restore and protect nature and prepare for the effects of the changing climate. Trees provide shade, homes for wildlife, better soil health, absorb carbon, help prevent flooding and clean our air.
The council is working with the community to carry out tree planting plan on council-owned land. However, most land in South Gloucestershire is privately owned, so it’s important for other landowners to get involved in planting new trees.
Find out more about the council’s response to the climate and nature emergency by visiting www.southglos.gov.uk/climatechange
