Thousands of trees to be planted as part of new strategy
More than 33,000 trees are set to be planted in Arun over the next decade after a strategy was backed by councillors.
The ten-year Tree Planting Strategy 2021 – 2031 will help to improve woodland habitats and increase our tree canopy and the number of trees on our land.
It forms part of the council’s wider strategy to tackle the climate change emergency as trees help to slow climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide as they grow.
The strategy was approved by members of the council’s Environment Committee in November last year.
It details how we plan to plant a minimum of 33,000 saplings and 500 more mature trees at over 80 sites across the district and details each location - with work to deliver the project already underway.
Councillor Shaun Gunner, Leader of Arun District Council, joined in with the first planting session in Rustington.
He said: “We know the public ask us to plant more trees. This is because trees improve wellbeing, they make an area more colourful, and they help tackle climate change. The public asked for more trees, and Arun District Council will deliver because the council’s job is to make our area a better place, and we work for the public.
“I’m excited to be able to see tens of thousands of trees popping up around the district, with hundreds already in place. We’ve spent a lot of work on this to get this right, to make sure the right trees go in the right places, and to make our area an even better place to live, to work and to visit. This is at the heart of what the council I lead will deliver across our lovely area.”
Community planting will be organised as the strategy gets underway to allow residents to get involved and to help us spread the message of the vital role that trees play in negating climate change.
We will also be getting involved in the Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) - a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee which invites people from across the UK to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”.
Everyone from individuals to Scout and Girlguiding groups, villages, cities, counties, schools and corporates will be encouraged to play their part in enhancing our environment by planting trees during the official planting season between October to March. Tree planting will commence again in October 2022, through to the end of the Jubilee year.