Planting more trees in Exeter

Published: 9 December 2020

At a time of year when most people are putting a tree inside their house, the City Council has been planting more trees outside in Exeter’s green spaces.

The latest tree planting took place at Pinhoe’s Library Fields, where a row of trees were put into the ground and will in time create an avenue of trees.

The City Council is keen to increase canopy cover over the area, as well as improving the diversity of species and age.

Cllr David Harvey, Lead Councillor for City Management and Cllr Duncan Wood, Lead Councillor for Leisure & Physical Activity, were on hand to help plant the trees

The three trees that were planted were a common beech, a small leaved lime and a black walnut.

Cllr Harvey said: “It’s absolutely vital for our carbon neutral agenda that we look to plant as many trees as we can.

“Because of ash dieback we are having to take out a considerable number of trees purely and simply for safety reasons. It aggrieves me to do it but for safety reasons we have to, so it becomes more important for us to plant more trees,” he added.

In the last year, the Council has planted 112 standard trees as well as creating a woodland of more than 2,000 trees at the Ridgeline Park in Pinhoe.

Another 62 standard trees and 100 whips are set to go in the ground between now and the end of March, as well as 300 whips in Mincinglake.