700,000 trees to be planted in Leicestershire's forests

The county is one of the least wooded areas of the country, currently around 6% woodland – well below the national average of 10%.

An ambitious new plan to make Leicestershire greener and boost biodiversity is being launched by the county council, with plans to plant a whopping 700,000 trees – one for every resident in the county.

It would take the area to over 1 million trees in total.

The council currently manages around 321,000 trees (including 404 hectares of woodland), but diseases such as Ash Die Back are placing more trees under threat.

It has already started to improve, thanks to the National Forest which has increased forest cover in the north west corner of the county to 21%.  This is a success story which the council is keen to replicate elsewhere; in towns, villages, on farms, country parks and open spaces and embedded in the design of new housing and employment developments.

The tree planting will also support the county council’s pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030, as trees and woodlands play an important part in cleaning up the environment, providing clean air, improving soil quality and reducing flooding.

Leader of Leicestershire County Council Nick Rushton said: “Trees and woodlands enhance our quality of life: they support wildlife, help combat climate change and add beauty to our towns, villages and countryside. But they face unprecedented challenges. We want to protect and enhance Leicestershire’s trees and woodlands so that they will continue to benefit future generations.”

Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for the environment, added: “The need for increased tree cover, both globally and locally, is well documented as a major action to mitigate climate change and we are determined to take action now to  ensure future generations can enjoy the wide-ranging benefits brought by trees and woodlands.”

And it’s not just the environment which will benefit - research shows that a walk among trees reduces stress and improves mental wellbeing.

The council has submitted applications for grant funding to the Forestry Commission to help tree planting projects take root and to enable sustainable woodland management across its country parks and is looking for further opportunities to increase tree planting across the county.