North Devon Council to plant 24,000 trees in climate change push

Parks officer Andrew Moulton and Councillor Netti Pearson are both involved in the project

Thousands of trees will be planted in a bid to help offset a council's carbon footprint.

North Devon Council plans to plant 24,000 trees in a community woodland in the Barnstaple area during the winter months.

The council said it purchased the land in 2020, specifically to help offset its carbon emissions.

The authority plans to become net zero by 2030.

The trees will also link three existing woodlands together helping wildlife to move around, bosses said.

'Thriving natural environment'

Following the successful England Woodland Creation Offer application, planting of mainly native broadleaf trees with a small number of conifers is due to start in the winter.

Councillor Netti Person, lead member for the environment at the council, said: "We are committed to doing everything we can to create a thriving natural environment which also locks in carbon.

"I am really pleased that we've taken this step towards offsetting our carbon footprint and look forward to supporting our parks team in their efforts to reach our net zero goal.

"We estimate that by planting these trees, 3,500 tonnes of CO2 will be removed from the atmosphere over the next 100 years.

"This equates to taking around 2,000 cars off the road, which will be a significant achievement."

James Fry, Forestry Commission's area director for the South West, said: "The England Woodland Creation Offer grant recognises the scheme's value in helping nature recovery by significantly expanding and connecting native woodland habitat, improving water quality and providing access to nature - all this while sucking up carbon to combat climate change."