Tree planting could increase across the local area if a plan being put to Bath and North East Somerset Council is agreed at a meeting on Thursday 15th October.
Labour councillors are bringing a motion to a meeting of Full Council asking the Cabinet to produce a detailed tree coverage survey of the area, along with the production of a strategy for planting trees in B&NES.
Climate Emergency Spokesperson, Cllr Grant Johnson (Labour, Paulton) said “Trees play a vital part in the lives of all residents.
“By removing emissions from the air around us, they help to address the climate emergency and improve people’s health.
“Trees absorb carbon dioxide, provide oxygen, cool urban areas, provide habitat for wildlife and give people opportunities to engage with the natural world.
“The Institute of Chartered Foresters recommends an urban tree canopy cover of 20%. For those areas already achieving this target, such as the City of Bath, it suggests that the aim should be to increase tree cover by a further 5%.
“Some built-up parts of Bath and North East Somerset, such as my own village of Paulton, have a tree canopy cover of only 9%.
“We currently have only limited knowledge about tree coverage in this area. Filling in the gaps in our understanding, through a tree coverage survey, must be our starting point.
“We then need to develop a proper strategy for tree planting that will not only address climate change but also look at how we can increase protection to existing mature trees, support diverse habitats for wildlife and enable residents to connect with our beautiful natural environment.
“The Council should also be looking at how plants can be used to reduce levels of air pollution.
“Given the priority that the Council has given to addressing the climate emergency, I’m really hopeful that councillors recognise the contribution that trees can make by getting behind this motion.
“The Woodland Trust has launched a Big Climate Fightback to get one million people to join the fight against climate change by pledging to plant a tree by 30 November with events across the country.
“I’d encourage everyone to take the opportunity to get involved in this campaign.”
The motion will be brought at the upcoming B&NES Council meeting on Thursday 15th October.