Coventry City Council planning new Coventry forests
February 28, 2008
Coventry City Council has issued a rallying call to 'green up' Coventry by planting 10,000 trees a year.
It wants to see new trees covering an area equivalent to 14 soccer pitches every 12 months to help fight climate change.
Councillors are calling on everyone to do their bit.
They want families to plant more trees in their gardens, community groups to identify land for planting and businesses to make their grounds leafier.
The new woodlands would "capture" 7,500 tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide and make the city a healthier and more beautiful place, the city council says.
It is one of many schemes the city council is likely to back to turn the city greener. Its climate change strategy is set to be agreed in the next few weeks and it sets out a bold target to cut carbon dioxide emissions in the city by 40 per cent by 2025.
Hundreds of local people were consulted in December and asked what their priori-ties were for tackling climate change and more tree planting was a popular suggestion.
Cllr Gary Ridley, cabinet member for climate change, said that once tree planting plans were finalised he hoped the green campaign would trigger a wider city commitment to eco-friendly living.
He said: "We want to plant a Coventry forest but, more importantly, we want people of all ages and all communities to realise that we all have a duty to act now to tackle climate change.
"The council has a major responsibility but only contributes to two per cent of the city's carbon footprint, which is why all communities need to take part."
Cllr Ridley added: "We should aim to be the nation's greenest city and that's why this climate change strategy needs to be Coventry's strategy and not just the council's."
In the longer term the target is to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 70 per cent by 2050.
Final agreement is expected to be reached by councillors at a meeting on March 18.
Michael Checkley, sustainability manager, said: "We asked a lot of people for their views and 80 per cent said the council should do more to tackle the problem of climate change. Some suggested trees would be a good starting point."
Each department allocates some of its budget to tree planting. A large tree can cost about £250 to plant.
One area which has seen a large number of trees planted is Coundon Community Woodland. The former allotment site now has 6,500 trees and tree officer Tim Rose said there was potential for more, although he could not identify other sites at this stage.
He said: "It would be useful for people to tell us what they are doing to contribute to tree planting."
The city council hasn't promised to pay for the tree planting but is inviting to people to suggest sites and propose ways in which it could be funded.
The city climate plans also include:
- A £300 million buildings scheme to reduce the carbon footprint of schools,
- A plant pledge scheme which will be a call to action to individuals, an eco-advice service to businesses and eco-living advice to help communities to develop carbon-neutral neighbourhoods
- Six key themes which include promoting energy efficiency, reducing flood risks, considering the risk of transport infrastructure as a result of climate change, promoting green space in the city.
Tree Factfile
- There are more than 80,000 tree species.
- An average mature tree can pull 100 gallons (454 litres) of water out of the ground and pump it into the air every day.
- A mature birch tree can produce 1 million seeds every year.
- An average mature tree can provide enough oxygen each year for a family of four for a day.
- The world's oldest trees are thought to be Bristlecone pines in the USA which have been dated at 4,600 years old - as old as the Egyptian pyramids.
- An average tree can remove one ton of carbon dioxide a year from the air. It is thought that every person can cause 10 tons of carbon dioxide to be emitted every year.
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