Online tree specialist, Ashridge Nurseries, has partnered with Cambridge City Council in a new initiative to encourage the city’s 54,000 residents to plant 12,500 new trees as part of the Cambridge Canopy Project.
The Cambridge Canopy Project was launched in 2019 by Cambridge City Council and aims to increase tree canopy cover across the city from 17% to 19% by 2050. This would provide an additional 82ha of tree cover, which is the equivalent of an area the size of approximately 120 football pitches.
Cambridge City Council’s partnership with Ashridge Nurseries offers residents in the CB1-CB5 postcodes a 20% discount voucher off the price of a selection of well-grown, tall, ornamental trees, fruit trees and shrubs, from 3 December to 28 February.
Dr Matthew Ling, project lead, of the Cambridge Canopy Project says: “We are very pleased to be partnering with the tree specialists at Ashridge Nurseries on this dedicated voucher scheme for our residents. Hopefully it will enable many more people across the city to join in and plant trees, helping to grow our urban forest, and increasing the flow of benefits we all receive as a result.
“Trees are the superheroes of the natural world planting a tree is a simple and cost-effective action we can all take to help reduce the impact of climate change. Cambridge City Council is committed to planting more trees on Council land, but analysis of Cambridge’s land area shows that 77% of the city is privately owned. Therefore, our residents hold the key to realising the goal of the Cambridge Canopy Project and increasing our city’s tree canopy cover to 19%, which will bring a huge benefit to the environment and us all!”
