York schools are being urged to get planting trees, as part of a citywide initiative to boost the benefits of trees across the city.
City of York Council has teamed up with St Nicks and White Rose Forest to help schools to plant trees in their school grounds.
The scheme ensures that schools are supported in every step of their planting journey, from looking at the best on-site options, to sourcing the trees and plants, co-ordinating planting days and providing on-going support to ensure the trees flourish.
Councillor Jenny Kent, the council’s Executive Member for Environment and Climate Emergency, said:
“We all valued the shade and cooling that trees provided in record temperatures this summer, and this need is only going to become greater with climate change.
“I urge all local schools to get in touch and improve their grounds with expert support for tree and hedgerow planting. Pupils will gain hands-on practical experience in adapting our environment for more extreme weather, and our neighbourhoods will benefit from greater tree cover.”
Jonathan Dent, Green Corridors Manager from St Nicks, said:
“We are looking forward to supporting some of our local schools to enhance the wildlife value of their sites, helping create better access to nature for kids across the city.
“Schools grounds have the potential to be key sites within our urban green corridors, as well as contributing towards the delivery of the North Yorkshire and York Local Nature Recovery Strategy and 30x30 nature targets for our region.
Iwan Downey, White Rose Forest Programme Director, said:
“We know that trees and hedgerows are a vital community asset. For schools they can improve air quality, provide shade on a hot day and enrich outdoor learning opportunities.
The White Rose Forest team provide expert support and Government funding for tree and hedgerow planting projects across in the York area and we hope that schools across York will take advantage of this opportunity to explore tree planting within their grounds.”
Schools are invited to apply to take part in the scheme before 15 December, with planting taking place next autumn.
To take part, schools simply need to email the council’s carbon reduction team on carbon.reduction@york.gov.uk to express their interest and find out more.