The new initiative is part of Leeds City Council’s response to the climate emergency.
Trees for Streets is going to be working in partnership with Leeds City Council to plant the trees themselves and the two will be working to help get ‘communities more involved in local tree planting and after-care’.
The idea is that residents choose a semi-mature street tree to be planted on a glass verge of their choosing for the cost of £150 each, and care for them by watering their sponsored trees during the summer months.
Neighbours can also set up crowdfunding pages and ‘club together’ to get more trees funded in their chosen locations.
Leeds City Council says that “increasing tree canopy cover will make Leeds a greener, healthier, and better place to live and is part of the council’s response to the climate emergency”.
Tree cover in England is some of the lowest in Europe – and the new initiative will help to combat this.
Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Executive Member for Climate, Energy, Environment and Green Space, said:
“I am always amazed by the incredible benefits that the right trees, planted in the right places, can have and street trees are some of the most beneficial of all.
“From cooling our streets on hot days, helping to prevent flooding, boosting our wellbeing, creating space for nature, improving beauty in an area—or even their ability to remove planet-warming gases from the air—our ambitious tree planting targets are key to making Leeds a greener, healthier, and better place to live.
“Nobody knows our streets better than the residents who live in them, so I am pleased to launch this exciting initiative with the charity Trees for Streets to empower neighbours and individuals to be able to green their own communities if it is right for them.”
Read More:
- Bird and Blend Tea Co. set to open in Leeds city centre this week
- Morrisons is selling cans of Northern Monk Jam Roly Poly beer for £2.50
- West Yorkshire Transport CCTV network to receive £50m investment to combat anti-social behaviour
To find out more about how you can get involved, visit the Trees For Streets website here.
Feature Image – Supplied, Leeds City Council
