All schools in the borough will be offered young trees to plant on their grounds, teaching pupils the importance of protecting and enriching Croydon’s tree canopy.
Councillor Muhammad Ali, cabinet member for sustainable Croydon was on hand today (Friday 25 March) at Elmwood Infant School to present two young oak trees that were planted this afternoon to launch the scheme.
Trees for the scheme have been donated as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project, and with a donation from National Grid.
Young trees require care, and offer a rich learning opportunity for children to understand the important role trees play in parks, streets, and green spaces.
Apart from the ability to provide fresh oxygen to the air and absorb CO2, trees help to make the local environment more resilient, with roots absorbing excess rain water to manage flooding.
Today’s announcement comes as Croydon reports 100 trees being sponsored through the Trees for Streets scheme.
A majority of the one hundred trees were sponsored by individuals and groups across Croydon, planted in streets and parks, some as celebration trees to memorialise lost loved ones. The remainder were offered through the Government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund. The fund was developed by Defra and its Arm’s-Length Bodies. It is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England, the Environment Agency and Forestry Commission.
Street trees play an important role in beautifying neighbourhoods and also offer much-need shade during hot weather, while too providing a home for bees and birds.
To learn more about the Trees for Streets scheme, or to sponsor a tree, visit the Trees for Streets website.
“Protecting and enriching the tree canopy in Croydon is a significant part of the Carbon Neutral Action Plan, and our ambitious goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2030. We need everyone – including schools and pupils – to help support the tree canopy, to learn about how valuable it is to the local environment, and to care for it so it can thrive. It’s a pleasure to have had the opportunity to launch the Trees for Schools scheme today so pupils will have a chance to see their trees grow first-hand, and learn from experience what it takes to help young trees reach maturity”
Councillor Muhammad Ali, cabinet member for sustainable Croydon
Schools will be contacted in the coming weeks to arrange offer of their trees, and to get support from officers about planting and care. Trees will be planted in the next planting season, which starts in November.
For more on the borough’s sustainability plans, visit the council website.
Pictured: Councillor Muhammad Ali, cabinet member for sustainable Croydon, Patsy Cummings, deputy cabinet member for sustainable Croydon, Elmwood Infant School headteacher Wayne Cooper and pupils planting young oak trees at Elmwood Infant School to launch the Trees for Schools scheme.
