More than 11,000 trees planted on city's edge

Electricity North West has planted more than 11,000 trees on land it owns on Sandsfield Road in Carlisle

More than 11,000 trees have been planted on the edge of a city in a move to offset the impact of cutting down branches to protect electricity lines.

Electricity North West carried out the project on land it owns at Sandsfield Road in Carlisle, as part of a pledge to plant 10,000 trees a year in the region until 2028.

Paul Killilea, asset and investment director, said its teams of arborists "work year-round to prevent stray branches hitting overhead electricity lines and causing power cuts."

The firm had previously announced it would plant 14,000 trees but numbers had to be reduced due to challenges with one of the sites.

Trees were planted in a mosaic design to incorporates wood pasture, scrub, hedgerows and traditional woodland, and to maximise benefit for wildlife.

Mr Killilea added: “We made a commitment to plant thousands more trees each year and, where possible, we replace the trees with plant species that aren’t as disruptive to the overhead power network."

The trees are planted in a mosaic layout

Electricity North West worked with Raise: Cumbria Community Forest, which provided funding for the project through Trees for Climate, part of the government-led Nature for Climate Fund.

James Cobbold, director at Raise, said the project showed how woodland could be planted sustainably in unusual sites.

He added: “It’s never been more important to plant trees in support of addressing the climate emergency, increasing biodiversity, and improving health and wellbeing."