Over 2,200 trees have been procured through Fylde Council’s tree planting programme this financial year to expand tree canopy coverage across the borough, as community tree planting events continue to give Fylde residents the chance to pitch in and help spruce up their local spaces.
The Capital Programme 2023/24 approved in January 2024 invested £25,000 of revenue to improving tree coverage through Fylde, supplemented by an additional £9,000 brought forward from the previous year. Fylde Council’s Parks and Coastal Services staff have been working in close partnership with Town and Parish Councils and community groups to identify suitable land areas for large-scale planting.
The Ranger Service and Arboricultural Team, alongside community groups, will be leading on the planting throughout Lytham, St Annes, Kirkham, Elswick, Newton, Treales and Freckleton over the coming weeks to ensure all trees are planted before spring.
Two recent public planting events in Lytham and St Annes saw residents get involved in planting new trees in Mornington Park and Ramsgate Park, with another event scheduled for Wednesday 6th March at William Segar Hodgson Park in Kirkham.
Cllr Tommy Threlfall, Lead Member for Environment, said: “I’m firmly in favour of Fylde Council securing this budget and continuing our programme of tree planting throughout the borough. By working with our partners, we’re demonstrating our green values and our commitment to bettering the environment for everyone’s benefit. I myself took part in planting in my home of Freckleton and it was a pleasure to work with the Parish Council and the members of Freckleton in Bloom.”
Tree canopy coverage is a useful metric for measuring the number of trees in areas across the country. Urban trees provide great benefits for people and communities, offering contact with the natural world and helping alleviate stress and ease anxiety, as well as providing a pleasing setting for exercise, socialising, and recreation.
Trees form a vital element of the ecosystem, acting as a natural carbon sink through the absorption of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases from the environment, improving air quality and assisting in addressing climate change. By providing habitats for a variety of birds, insects and other wildlife, tree coverage improves biodiversity and helps preserve the ecological stability of the natural world.
The trees chosen for planting as part of this programme, comprising over 40 different native species, have been carefully picked to provide a healthily mixed habitat for wildlife, as well as some ornamental species for planting in the more formal areas of parks.
If you would like to help and get your hands dirty, why not join us at our next public tree planting event:
WHERE: William Segar Hodgson Park, Kirkham
WHEN: Wednesday 6 March 10.00am – 12:00pm
All equipment will be provided – we hope to see you there!
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