Thousands of trees to be planted near Exeter

Up to 3,000 trees could be planted near Exeter

Up to 3,000 trees are to be planted on the outskirts of Exeter, according to East Devon District Council.

Broadclyst and Poltimore have been chosen for the project, with a funding boost from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Volunteers have already planted the first 150 trees, forming a new hedgerow at Clyst Meadows Country Park, near Broadclyst Station.

The project team is now looking for more land in Broadclyst and Poltimore to complete the planting.

Once complete, a total of up to one hectare (2.5 acres) of native trees and 600 metres (1,970 ft) of new hedgerow will be planted.

Councillor Paula Fernley said: "More trees mean more biodiversity, more shade and shelter, and better resilience to climate change. It's also brilliant for wellbeing."

Volunteers have planted the first 150 trees at Clyst Meadows Country Park

The trees are to be grown locally by volunteers at the Saving Devon's Treescapes Broadclyst Tree Nursery using seeds collected from the area.

Saving Devon's Treescapes is a four-year project led by Devon Wildlife Trust and supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

It aims to plant and nurture 250,000 trees outside traditional woodland settings across Devon by 2026.

Michael Rogers, project manager at Saving Devon's Treescapes, added: "Even if we don't always notice it, most of us have seen the impact of ash dieback – from isolated trees to whole woodlands losing their canopy.

"But we now have new trees growing in their place, thanks to local volunteers who have nurtured saplings from Broadclyst seed."