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Cardiff Council’s ambitious ‘Coed Caerdydd’ project is preparing for a busy six months, with plans to plant a further 30,000 trees in the city’s green spaces, as well as on its streets and in school, community and privately-owned spaces by spring next year.
The plan aims to build on the success of the past four years, which has seen:
- more than 118,500 trees planted at hundreds of locations across Cardiff, transforming an area the equivalent of almost 30 Principality Stadium pitches into a new urban forest.
- local volunteers, schools, businesses, and community groups contribute over 16,000 hours to planting and caring for the new trees.
For the first time, this year’s planting will include trees, including Oak and Rowan, grown from locally collected seeds in the project’s tree nursery. The nursery was established at the start of the project in order to provide a long-term source of trees. Trees grown from local seed are better adapted to local conditions, more resilient to pests and diseases, and the impacts of climate change.
The project supports Cardiff Council’s commitment, made as part of its One Planet Cardiff response to climate change, to increasing tree canopy coverage in the city.
The upcoming planting season will see a diverse range of mainly native trees planted at over 200 different sites, including semi-mature street trees, new orchards in schools and parks, and hedgerows along public rights of way and on farms on the outskirts of the city. The project will also continue to introduce heritage varieties of fruit tree, such as the rare “Gabalva” apple, further enhancing Cardiff’s biodiversity. Ornamental trees will add seasonal interest in green spaces.
Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Events, Cllr Jennifer Burke, said: “As these trees grow they will make our air cleaner, help mitigate flooding, keep people cool in summer, provide habitats for wildlife and simply make Cardiff a greener, more pleasant place to live—they will also make a significant contribution towards our vision for a carbon neutral Cardiff.
“So much has been achieved already through the Coed Caerdydd project but together with the continued help and support of the community, we can do even more.”
Community involvement is at the heart of Coed Caerdydd’s success. Last season, 2,166 volunteers took part in 114 planting events, while the project’s growing network of over 300 Tree Guardians helps care for newly planted trees, providing valuable feedback on their health and ensuring as many as possible reach maturity.
A new tree donation scheme has also been launched to allow individuals, community groups and businesses to make financial contributions to the project, so that future generations can enjoy the benefits of even more trees. Trees can be donated as gifts, in memory of a loved one, to help offset carbon emissions, or in the case of businesses working with Cardiff Council, to contribute towards the Community Wellbeing Benefits required under the Council’s socially responsible procurement scheme.
A donation of £1 would enable one sapling to be bought. If a business donated £500, or 500 people each donated £1, it would allow 500 saplings to be bought – enough to grow into up to half a hectare of woodland – after 20 years these trees would capture between 12-15 tonnes of carbon emissions every year.
Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Events, Cllr Jennifer Burke, said: “Every tree planted brings Cardiff closer to a stronger, fairer, greener future and I’d encourage as many residents, community groups and businesses to get involved as possible.”
How to get involved:
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a first-time volunteer, everyone is welcome to help grow Cardiff’s urban forest. Individual residents and groups interested in joining a community planting event can find a full list of events here:https://www.eventbrite.com/o/coed-caerdydd-46791623513
