Children in Gateshead have played a vital role in Gateshead’s initiative to plant new trees during National Tree Week.
Students from Emmaville Primary School, located on Main Street in Crawcrook, collaborated with their teachers and woodland creation officer Eve McShannon to plant a continuous hedge as well as seven individual trees.
This new planting in Crawcrook contributes to a record year of tree planting across Gateshead.
In 2023/24, a total of 13,000 trees were planted, including the establishment of two tiny forests, as part of our commitment to plant 100,000 new trees by 2030.
The planting took place at eight different locations, covering a total area of 8.3 hectares, equivalent to over 11 full-sized football fields.
This upcoming winter, Gateshead Council plan to plant an additional 25,000 trees across seven sites in eastern Gateshead. These will include a range of standard trees for street shading and areas designated for woodland creation within the urban landscape.
Funding has been secured through the North East Community Forest’s Trees for Climate initiative.
In addition to Emmaville Primary, trees have also been planted at St Philip Neri RC Primary in Dunston, and the council has lined up six more schools for planting this season.
The funding will not only support the planting of new trees and shrubs but also ensure their successful establishment and maintenance over 15 years.
Additionally, this year they introduced two ‘Tiny Forests’ in Bensham and Birtley. These 200m² plantations utilize the ‘Miyawaki Method’, which involves planting tree species that naturally grow in the area in a way that promotes a diverse, multi-layered forest ecosystem. The trees are densely arranged to facilitate rapid growth.
Councillor John McElroy, cabinet member for the environment and transport at Gateshead Council, said: “We are very proud of the rapid progress we are achieving with tree planting. “Our officers are working hard to identify good planting sites and get the trees in the ground. “It’s so important to keep increasing the tree cover in our area. They are important assets for nature, for wellbeing and for carbon capture to help tackle the climate crisis. “Our partners in the local community around each site, and at the North East Community Forest have worked closely with us to bring each site forward, and we know they will bring us both environmental and social benefits.”
To help schools in Gateshead make the most of the benefits of trees, the Council has partnered with the Royal Forestry Society to provide support for schools who would like to engage in its exciting tree planting programme by planting in school grounds.
Designs can be tailored to the requirements of each school.
National Tree Week runs 23rd November to 1st December, brings together the conservation sector, volunteers and tree-lovers to mark the start of the annual tree planting season by planting thousands of trees and hedgerows and celebrating these magnificent mainstays of our landscapes and their value to our society.