Council plants its millionth tree in Northumberland
A LANDRMAK moment, (literally) has been reached with Northumberland County Council planting its one millionth tree.
The occasion was marked when a two-metre-tall oak tree was planted at East Cramlington Local Nature Reserve by the Council’s Great Northumberland Forest team as part of National Tree Week.
Since the introduction of the Great Northumberland Forest initiative in 2019, the Council has created 190ha (hectares) of tree coverage.
That’s over 27 trees for every child under the age of five in Northumberland, helping to boost biodiversity, the rural economy, mitigate flooding, and improve air quality across the county.
This includes 125ha of small individual woodlands and shelterbelts which have suffered significant storm damage, including from Storm Arwen.
Additionally, 33,522m of hedgerows have been introduced, creating new wildlife corridors, and trees on farms have been providing shade and shelter to farm animals.
Native tree species such as oak, alder, and downy birch are also boosting new ecosystems and enhancing the natural environment.
The trees are helping the County Council reach its target of making Northumberland net zero by 2040, while at the same time boosting community wellbeing.
Cllr John Riddle, Cabinet Member for Environment, Rural and Farming at Northumberland County Council, said: “I am incredibly proud of our teams working hard to maintain Northumberland’s stunning greenery.
“It is no secret that trees bring scores of benefits to local communities, whether that’s improving wellbeing, soil health or air quality, to name a few – and we all recognise their significance in our county.
“It was fantastic to celebrate our millionth tree being planted this year, and I hope we see many more being planted in the years to come.”
The team has also been improving tree coverage in urban public areas.
The Local Authority Treescape Fund has supported the planting of mature trees in parks in Choppington, Berwick-upon-Tweed, and Wylam.
Newbiggin-by-the-Sea football club has had mature trees and hedging to enhance the ground, and Ashington Memorial Cricket Club had 48 trees planted in remembrance of the D-Day celebrations.
The Great Northumberland Forest has planted community orchards in Longhoughton and Ashington, with more fruit tree planting planned in the 2025 to 2026 planting season, thanks to ‘Nature for Climate Programme’ funding from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).
