New woodland expanded due to help from local sponsors
Residents and local people have sponsored and planted trees at Itchen Valley Country Park to help expand new woodland, providing habitats for local wildlife.
268 residents and local people took up the exciting chance to sponsor and plant a tree at Itchen Valley Country Park over three planting days in January and February. With a further 31 sponsored trees that were planted by the Country Parks team, bringing the total to 151 new trees for the woodland. They form part of the Council’s Plant Eastleigh campaign to help improve biodiversity and tackle climate change.
Groups of friends and families joined the Council’s Tree Rangers, StreetScene team members, and Country Parks Officers on an allocated area of the Country Park to meet their tree and get muddy and close to nature.
The trees were whips (young, single stem trees) from the Council-run tree nursery in Horton Heath and included Rowan, Crab Apple, Cherry, Oak, Hazel and Sweet Chestnut. They were planted alongside others to expand an area of native woodland.
Plant Eastleigh is our drive for residents, businesses, and community organisations to plant 160,000 more trees in Eastleigh Borough by 2030. The project contributes to the England Trees Action Plan, which the Government has launched to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change.
Next up for Plant Eastleigh is the imminent community engagement project. Volunteers have already been recruited and contact is being made with several community groups in the area to help plant and maintain young trees across the Borough over the next two years.
Cabinet Lead for Environment Cllr, Rupert Kyrle said, “A big thank you to all those who both sponsored and planted trees at our beautiful Itchen Valley Country Park. It’s a great legacy for nature and wildlife and I hope the area thrives in future years. We aim to have 160,000 more trees in the Borough by the year 2030 and tree planting days are a key part of engaging with residents to reach this goal.”
In 2019, the Council declared a climate and environmental emergency, and in response, a borough-wide tree planting initiative was announced in 2020. Planting significant numbers of trees is a key part of the Councils plans to help create more space for wildlife and increase biodiversity in the Borough.