Waverley Borough Council has received a grant of £45,000 from the Government’s Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF) which has been used to fund the planting of around 7,200 new trees in the borough.
The fund, which is a grant scheme for local authorities, aims to increase tree planting and natural regeneration in mainly non-woodland areas. The council, which is working towards carbon-neutrality by 2030, is one of a number of local authorities in Surrey who were successful in a county council led bid for the funding launched last year.
Additional tree and hedgerow planting forms part of the council’s Tree and Woodland Policy which was adopted by the Executive in January of this year. Amongst other things, the policy aims to help tackle climate change, increase biodiversity and assist in reducing the council’s carbon footprint.
All protective tree shelters and mulch mats used in the project are biodegradable and used to avoid or reduce the use of herbicides for weed control, improve growing conditions as well as protection from damage caused by deer, rabbits and voles.
Cllr Kika Mirylees, Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing, Parks and Leisure, said: “There was a very tight turnaround to get the locations agreed and planting started, whilst also dealing with the devastation of two punishing storms in February and our team worked extremely hard to get the job done. Several of the sites that were selected are those where residents had already requested planting or where our team felt additional planting would strengthen existing or aging trees and where there was scope for substantial planting schemes.”
Councillor Steve Williams, Waverley Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, added: “As a council committed to a more sustainable future by reducing our carbon footprint and increasing biodiversity, I am delighted we have been successful in gaining this funding. Trees absorb significant quantities of the CO2 we produce, and we hope these latest additions will not only enhance the environment for our residents but also help mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
For further information on our Parks, Countryside and Greenspaces, you can visit our Parks, countryside and green spaces webpage.