Glasgow residents encouraged to sponsor new street trees

Glasgow Times

4 days ago

This is part of a wider plan by the Glasgow City Council with the charity, Trees for Cities, to increase Glasgow's tree canopy.
The Trees for Streets scheme allows people to choose where they would like a new tree to be planted in their neighbourhood on an online map.
The city's Low Emission Zone penalty charge income, amounting to £85,000, is helping to partly fund this pilot scheme.
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Sponsors would contribute £350, while the remainder of the cost, which includes a site survey and the planting of a three to four-metre-high tree, will be covered by the LEZ penalty charge income.
The council will arrange the planting of the tree between this autumn and next spring.
Find out more about how the tree planting sponsorship scheme works by visiting treesforstreets.org/glasgow.
Councillor Angus Millar, city convener for climate, believes the scheme will empower people to bring nature to their doorstep and help mitigate the effects of climate change.
He said: "Tree planting is an ongoing priority for the council and this partnership with Trees for Streets will complement our wider greening programme across Glasgow.
"By sponsoring a street tree, you'll be helping to create greener neighbourhoods and play a part in the city's response to the climate crisis.
"We also welcome sponsorship from businesses who are looking to create a lasting impact in their local communities.
"Support is also available from Trees for Streets to organise a crowdfunding campaign to green an entire street.
"Sponsoring a street tree is a great way to make our neighbourhoods greener, more pleasant places to live, and can create a real sense of neighbourhood connection.
'This latest venture continues to ensure that penalties collected through the city's Low Emission Zone are poured back into local communities.
"Combined with £732,000 already committed to community-led environment projects and a further £165,000 to green the city centre with tree planters, almost £1million of LEZ income is being invested into Glasgow, meaning we can deliver both cleaner air and greener streets in the city centre and beyond."
Carrie Hume, project director at Trees for Streets, said: "Trees breathe life into streets.
"They simply transform neighbourhoods, making places more beautiful whilst helping people shelter from the sun and have real connections with nature on their doorstep.
"We are pleased to be working with Glasgow City Council supported by funds from the LEZ scheme to bring the national street tree sponsorship scheme into the streets of Glasgow and so aid their ambition for more trees across Glasgow."
The scheme aims to plant more than 250,000 street trees nationwide over the next 10 years.
It was co-founded by Start with Local and Trees for Cities and is funded by the People's Postcode Lottery, the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, and City Bridge Trust.