Emergency tree fund extended for winter

Councillor Andrea Davis said the tree planting programme had been "incredibly successful"

An emergency tree fund has been extended throughout the winter by Devon County Council.

The Woodland Trust's Emergency Tree Fund contributes towards the county council's Free Tree Scheme, which has seen more that 50,000 trees planted across Devon since 2019, the authority said.

The work aims to help the council meet its carbon net zero targets and replace trees lost to ash dieback.

Ash dieback is a disease expected to kill up to 80% of ash trees in the UK, according to the trust.

'Encouraging' progress

Councillor Andrea Davis said the tree planting programme had been "incredibly successful" so far.

She said: "When you consider the total number of trees that have been planted through our initiatives and as part of the Devon Ash Dieback Resilience Forum, it's encouraging to see that the figures highlight that we're more than living up to our commitment to ensure that three trees replace every mature tree lost through ash dieback."

The county council said the fund had allowed tree planting to be carried out at more than 300 sites in Devon.

It said it expected to plant at least 27,000 more trees before March 2025, taking its overall figure to about 77,000.