Volunteers lead Swindon's 10,000 tree planting push

More than ten thousand trees will be planted by Swindon Borough Council by the start of next year as part of a big push to increase the Borough’s green canopy.

Published: Thursday, 22nd February 2024

tree planting at stanton park

Through the Trees for Climate programme, which is funded by central government, tree planting will take place at three of the Council’s country parks (Mouldon Hill, Coate Water and Stanton Park) as well as various other locations across the Borough over the next two planting seasons in 2024.

Between 2020 and 2023, the Council, through the Trees for Climate programme and the Great Western Community Forest, planted 35 hectares of woodland (more than 40,000 trees) creating a massive environmental boost for the Borough.

When fully grown, each hectare of new tree planting will annually capture and store around 295 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the main greenhouse gases causing climate change.

As well as locking up carbon, trees help to improve soil quality, mitigate soil erosion, reduce pollution and flooding with more than 30 per cent of the new trees being planted in areas that support natural flood management.

The tree planting is taking place thanks to the support of volunteers and parish councils, such as South Marston Parish Council and St Andrews Parish Council, who organise tree planting sessions. The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust also has a partnership with the Council to plant new trees as part of the Swindon Forest Meadows project.

The planting across the Borough builds on the work of the Great Western Community Forest (GWCF), which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. With Swindon at its heart, the GWCF covers an area of 39,000 hectares (over 168 square miles) stretching from the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the River Thames and encompasses popular sites such as Nightingale Wood, Stanton Park, Stratton Wood and Shaw Forest Park.

All the work carried out by officers, partner organisations and volunteers, who give up their free time, will help make Swindon greener and contribute to the Council’s net zero mission.

Councillor Chris Watts, Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said: “It’s amazing to see how many trees have already been planted and how many we still intend to put in the ground.

“One of our key Council missions is on net zero and supporting the Borough to reach the UK-wide target to reach net zero by 2050. We want to do as much as we can to make that a reality.

“While it may seem like the simplest thing to do, planting more trees is hugely beneficial to the local environment, as well as creating fantastic places for residents to enjoy.

“If anyone has any spare time, I encourage them to come along to one of the scheduled tree planting sessions and get involved in what your local community is doing.”

A number of volunteer tree planting opportunities are taking place over the coming weeks. Residents are encouraged to contact the organisations to check final arrangements:

Residents are encouraged to keep an eye on the Council’s social media channels for further upcoming tree planting activities in their local area.

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