More than 400 new trees to be planted in Portsmouth

The city council will plant 440 new trees, bringing the total number of trees planted in Portsmouth this financial year to nearly 1,500.

As part of the project 200 small trees, between one and two years old, will be introduced to Great Salterns Field, and a further 200 at Baffins Park. All will be species from the UK.

And 40 trees between three and five years old will also be planted in the north of city, including 20 near the recently completed sea defences in Hilsea, 10 in John Wesley Gardens and 10 along London Road adjacent to Gatcombe Estate.

Councillor Dave Ashmore, the council's environment and climate change boss, said: 'As part of our commitment to maintaining and increasing tree cover in and around the city, we will replant any tree removed during the previous year and will look to plant new trees, where possible.

'Greenery in the city is absolutely vital for air quality, biodiversity and the impact on climate change, but it also has an important impact on our mental and physical wellbeing, and creating a healthier, more aesthetically pleasing place to live, work and travel.'

The new trees will be planted using a grant of £15,543 from charity The Tree Council and the funding includes maintenance costs of the new trees for the first two years.

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By the end of February, 1,446 trees will have been planted in the city during 2020/21.

Deputy leader of the council, Cllr Steve Pitt, added: 'The administration is passionate about making a Portsmouth a greener city, and we know we must come together as a city; a region; a country, to take action against climate change.

'Our commitment to planting more trees in our city is one of the ways, among many, that we are supporting this, and I am proud of the work undertaken by our teams this year.'

The trees to be planted in Baffins Park will replace any small trees that didn't survive when Stagg Wood was created in 2014.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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