NEW TREES will soon be appearing across Reading borough thanks to a government grant.
The award of £20,000 from The Urban Trees Challenge Fund has been matched by Reading Borough Council.
The UTCF is being delivered by the Forestry Commission as part of their work to expand woodlands and tree cover across England.
The money was secured by a joint venture between Ethical Reading, Reading Tree Wardens and the borough council.
It means that 48 trees will be planted by the council over the next two years, who will water them for three years to ensure that they are fully established.
Reading Tree Wardens will lead on community engagement with Ethical Reading administering the project, including gathering data on the impact of the new trees in the community. It is hoped that the trees will improve the urban environment and increase biodiversity.
Gurprit Singh, Ethical Reading founding director, said: “This was a brilliant team effort. We were thrilled to be able to share the news that we have got a yes.”
Anna Iwaschkin, coordinator for Reading Tree Wardens, added: “This funding will benefit areas around schools and medical centres in low canopy parts of town.”
The project forms part of the council’s new tree strategy which aims for 3,000 new trees to be planted on council land by 2030.
For more information, visit: http://www.readingtreewardens.org.uk/ or: https://www.ethicalreading.org.uk/trees-for-reading
