Tree-mendous effort by all to mark the beginning of National Tree Week!
Friday 1 December 2023
National Tree Week efforts have been getting under way all over Mid and East Antrim this week - with lots of special events happening across the Borough.
National Tree Week is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration and takes place from 25 November – 3 December 2023. This marks the start of the winter tree planting season, which runs from November until March each year, while trees are dormant.
Tree Week is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the beauty and benefits of trees in our environment and life. Trees provide us with oxygen, food, shelter, medicine and many other things that we often take for granted. They also enhance our landscapes, support biodiversity and help combat climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide.
Staff from Council’s parks and open spaces department have been busy developing tree planting projects in partnership with The Woodland Trust NI - who have generously provided funding through the Emergency Tree Fund. Huge numbers of trees will be planted this winter in a bid to increase the percentage tree cover in the Borough - which currently stands at less than the Northern Ireland average.
Residents are invited to join in with Tree Week celebrations through Council’s very special community tree giveaway. Residents can collect a free native tree on Saturday 2 December from 10am to 12noon at the following locations - Portglenone Marina, Glenarm Castle Welcome Area and Carrickfergus Amphitheatre car park.
The trees are small whips, approximately 1m tall - small trees transplant with better survival rates than larger trees.
Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Gerardine Mulvenna, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Tree Week in Mid and East Antrim - highlighting the vital role trees and woodland play in our own health and wellbeing plus the biodiversity across the borough and beyond.”
Remember planting the right tree in the right place can really make an impact so why not find out more! For information on how to plant a tree, please visit the Woodland Trust website.
For further information, please contact trees@midandeastantrim.gov.uk.