More trees planted across Exeter’s green open spaces
Published: 23 November 2023
Sixty trees have been planted across Exeter in the lead up to National Tree Week.
The trees further underline the City Council’s commitment to its green open spaces as well as its pledge to protect the environment and become net zero by 2030.
National Tree Week starts this Saturday (25 November) and runs until Sunday 3 December. It is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration.
In Exeter, the Council has been busy planting 60 trees at various sites across the city. Some of the them are to replace trees that have perished, were in bad health or had been vandalised. Others are being planted to add to the city’s tree population.
A further 40 whips are to be planted in hedges, as well as some fruit trees later in the season.
The trees planted this week are a mix of native and non-native varieties matched to suit the various sites.
Cllr Ruth Williams, Lead Councillor with responsibility for Exeter’s green open spaces, said the Council was committed to an ongoing programme of tree planting across the city.
“Since the year 2000, we’ve planted some 17,000 trees throughout Exeter and there’s more to come.
“We recognise the important role that trees and plants play, not just for the environment but for the health and wellbeing of our residents and the people that come to visit this great city.”
A recent study from Treeconomics showed the true value of Exeter’s 179,000 trees to be valued at around £56.6 million for carbon storage. In fact people in the city can scan a QR code on the trees that have just been planted to find out how much carbon they will store.
“Last year Exeter was ranked the top city centre in the UK for green spaces by the University of Sheffield, an accolade that we are very proud of,” added Cllr Williams.
In the study, Exeter came out the highest ranked city - out of a total of 68 – for greenness, the second best city for tree canopy cover and the third best for greenspace coverage.
To find out more about National Tree Week, visit the Tree Council website at https://treecouncil.org.uk/seasonal-campaigns/national-tree-week/