Almost 1,000 trees planted across Plymouth
They include tree species identified as residents' favourites through neighbourhood consultations.
Almost 1,000 trees have been planted across Plymouth in a near decade-long push to improve green spaces all over the city.
The project has seen Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) working in partnership with Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest (PSDCF) to help plant more trees in green spaces around our homes and neighbourhoods.
To date, PSDCF has facilitated the planting of 957 trees at over 20 PCH sites, funded by the ‘Trees for Climate’ fund as part of the Department for Environment, Food, & Rural Affairs (Defra) ‘Nature for Climate’ fund.
During this year’s planting season, a total of 51 large trees were planted across Henderson Place (seven), Queen Street (three trees), Pentamar Street (ten trees), Devonport Hill (five trees) and Albert Road (26).
Through the partnership, a mixture of trees have been planted on PCH land, including mostly native deciduous broadleaf, with considerations over their longevity, canopy size, aesthetics, climate resilience and appropriateness for planting in urban areas.
Tree species include small-leaved lime, hawthorn, hornbeam, silver birch, Norway maple, wild cherry, oak, ginkgo, loquat, and beech.
The feedback determined that Wild Cherry and Magnolia Grandiflora ‘Little Gem’ were residents' two favourite small trees and overall English Oak and Sweet Chesnut were the favourite two large trees.
Joe Berryman, arboriculturist at Plymouth Community Homes, said: “It has been another successful year of PCH working collaboratively with the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest team which has led to the delivery of tree planting projects spread across a number of PCH's greenspaces.
“A good example of this is the project delivered at Devonport Hill Flats, which saw an area of relatively disused and bland grass area transformed into a much more inviting space, in which five Himalayan Birch trees were planted, along with an understorey of numerous Dogwood shrubs, which will ensure the site is visually appealing during the not-so-sunny season, whose eye-catching red bark doesn't go unnoticed and provides some winter colour.
“To enhance this area further and make it more inviting for residents and passers by seeking some respite from the harsher aspects of an urban environment, a comfortable bench has been funded and provided by the PSDCF project, with help from Plymouth Tree People, enabling this formerly barren space to be enjoyed in a new and novel way.”