WARWICKSHIRE is set to get a lot greener thanks to a tree nursery.
Council chiefs at Warwickshire County Council (WCC) have rubber-stamped plans for an ‘extensive’ tree nursery, which will service the area for generations to come.
The ambitious proposal will see 566,000 trees – one for each Warwickshire resident – planted across the county over the next eight years.
The project will be funded by £140,000 from the Climate Action Fund.
The tree planting has been planned to restore parts of forests and wooded areas that have been lost to time, like the ancient Forest of Arden which once covered most of the county and beyond into Staffordshire and Worcestershire.
This tree planting will also play a significant role in contributing to WCC’s commitment to addressing the global climate change emergency, as well as improving biodiversity by creating extensive new habitats for wildlife.
The tree nursery will be established on a 20 acre council-owned small holding in Snitterfield. The plans for the nursery include polytunnels with automatic watering systems to save water, a storage area for tree stock as well as equipment, and a composting area where waste can be composted for use as a peat alternative.
The site is centrally located, allowing for minimal transportation throughout the county.
WCC spokesperson for heritage, culture and environment, Coun Heather Timms, 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, which is why we are committing resources to establishing this tree nursery.
“The Woodlands Trust have stated that to meet the UK’s carbon net-zero target, it will need to plant at least 1.44million hectares of new forestry across the country. In Warwickshire, we are fully committed to playing our part in this huge tree planting challenge and this will be underpinned by our own tree nursery giving the county access to trees with the lowest possible carbon footprint and at market competitive prices.”
