Rotherham Council smashes target of 500 new trees to plant 22,000 trees last year

During the 2021-22 financial year, RMBC’s tree planting programme aimed to plant 500 new trees across the borough – but managed to plant 22,139.

During the last financial year, 398 trees were felled or lost due to storm damage or natural causes and the council’s tree service estimates that around 10 per cent of new trees – 2,215 – will not survive.

This gives an estimated overall net gain of 19,546 new trees in 2021/22 and estimated net gain of 1,336 in urban settings, including Herringthorpe Playing Fields; Bawtry Road; Broom Valley Road; and Cherry Tree Park.

Woodland tree planting also took place in Greenland Park; Swinton Piccadilly; Holmes/Ickles Lock and Brecks Lane/ Herringthorpe Wood.

In August 2021 , RMBC introduced new guidance, with a commitment to plant 500 new trees in urban settings each year.

MORE: Sheffield man fined for fly-tipping in Rotherham

The council also aimed to dedicate a minimum of five hectares of land to woodland creation, either through planting or re-wilding, up to 2030.

To date the council has planted 10 hectares of new woodland, with around 1.5 hectares planted by volunteers.

This year’s budget included £50,000 for tree planting programmes, which includes a dedicated trees and woodlands engagement officer and an operating budget.

A further £100,000 has been ringfenced “to support additional works from service requests and member case work”.

"Since the appointment of the trees and woodlands engagement officer in June 2021, 24 tree planting programmes have been delivered. To date these events have engaged with 555 residents in total,” adds the report.