Hundreds of trees planted by the city council across Norwich

Two grants are helping to fund this work, with a £131,000 grant from the Forestry Commission’s Urban Tree Challenge Fund - which is split between planting 200 trees and then maintaining them over the coming years - as well as £104,000 from the Local Authority Treescapes Fund which will pay to plant and maintain 136 replacement trees across the city.

The successful bids for funding were led by Norfolk County Council and will contribute towards the 1 Million Trees for Norfolk project. 

In addition to trees funded by these grants, the city council has been carrying out further planting around Norwich. This includes recent work by Norwich Fringe Project at Heartsease Recreation Ground, where innovative Miyawaki Forests have been created by planting 1200 trees closely together. This technique makes them grow quicker, stronger, and thicker while also providing a perfect habitat for wildlife and increasing biodiversity.

In 2019 Norwich City Council declared a climate emergency, and published a new biodiversity strategy in 2022 in response to the biodiversity emergency, with trees set to play an important role tackling these issues.

Councillor Adam Giles, cabinet member for communities and social inclusion, said:

“Trees are key to supporting biodiversity, increasing our resilience to the effects of a changing climate, improving air quality, and boosting wellbeing. We’re lucky to have access to lots of green spaces in the city where the council carefully manages our tree stock, from our housing estates and parks, to larger woodlands like Mousehold Heath.

“I’m delighted that the council is planting so many trees, but we must recognise that while trees are key to tackling climate change, they are also susceptible to its impacts. That’s why we are adapting how and where we plant trees so that they thrive and can benefit the city for decades to come.”