More trees are to be planted in North Somerset where they are most needed following a successful bid for government funding.

North Somerset Council, in partnership with Bristol City Council, applied to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for a grant from the Urban Tree Challenge fund.

North Somerset’s share of the funding will enable the council to plant 190 trees in areas of high deprivation where there is currently a lack of trees.

Council officers have drawn up a list of potential locations for the trees. The Forest of Avon Trust will now visit those sites to check their suitability and consult with local residents.

When the sites have been finalised the council will be seeking volunteers to not only help plant the trees but also to look after them by watering them.

This successful bid follows the news that the council will be planting around 50,000 young trees across the district over the next two years as part of its rewilding programme to help tackle the climate emergency. With the help of volunteers the first 5,000 of these are being planted over the next couple of weeks.

“The health benefits of planting trees are well known,” said Cllr Bridget Petty, the council’s executive member for climate emergency and environment. “By soaking up carbon and helping remove pollution from the atmosphere trees have a significant impact on the damaging effects of climate change.

“Securing this funding gives us a great opportunity to plant trees where they are really needed. I’m sure our residents will want to get involved in planting and looking after them and making a positive difference to our environment.”

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