Tree-mendous effort by all to mark National Tree Week!

Friday 29 November 2024

National Tree Week is the UK’s biggest annual tree celebration and takes place from 23 November – 1 December 2024. This marks the start of the winter tree planting season, which runs from November until March each year. At this time of year, trees are dormant and so experience the least stress when being placed in their new homes – to hopefully thrive into maturity, bringing huge nature, wellbeing and biodiversity benefits to all.

Tree Week is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the beauty and benefits of trees in our environment. 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, provide flood defences and help combat climate change by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide.

Staff from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Parks and Open Spaces Development Team have been busy creating tree planting projects in partnership with The Woodland Trust NI - who have generously provided funding through the Emergency Tree Fund this winter.

Residents are also invited to join in with Tree Week celebrations through Council’s very special community tree giveaway ‘Trees for Pollinators’. Residents can collect a free native and pollinator friendly tree on Saturday 30 November from 10am to 12noon at the following locations – Ballymena People’s Park Pavilion, Larne Promenade car park (behind Larne Leisure Centre) and Carrickfergus Amphitheatre car park.

The trees are small whips of hazel, rowan and crab apple, approximately 60cm tall. These small trees transplant with better survival rates than larger trees.

Remember planting the right tree in the right place can really make an impact so why not find out more on the Wwoodland Trust website.

For further information, please E: trees@midandeastantrim.gov.uk.