Edinburgh to become a ‘Million Tree City’

Edinburgh is set to be home to one million trees by the end of this decade, joining counterparts all over the globe in becoming a Million Tree City.

Edinburgh already outstrips other Scottish cities by having more trees per head of population - there are currently more than 730,000 urban trees, compared to around 519,000 residents.

Now, following, the approval of a report by the Culture and Communities Committee, Edinburgh City Council will draw up an Action Plan to achieve the one million tree target in urban Edinburgh. This will include tree planting opportunities on both public and private land, via new developments and to replace trees lost to age, disease and damage.

Annual tree-planting targets will also be set, with numbers of trees publicly reported on an on-going basis. Regular i-Tree Eco surveys will also be carried out to assess the ecosystem benefits trees are playing in the Capital.

Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener, said: “We're so proud that Edinburgh is already the UK's greenest city, with more trees than people, more green space and more green flag parks than any other place in Scotland for people to enjoy. Last year we became the first Scottish local authority to support the Charter for Trees, pledging our full commitment to cherish, nurture and celebrate our trees. And we're delighted to be part of the excellent TreeTime initiative whereby people can adopt or plant a new tree in the Capital.

“But we want to - and must - do even better, especially as we strive towards our hugely ambitious target of making the city carbon neutral by 2030. By joining the cohort of Million Tree Cities such as New York, Shanghai, London and Los Angeles, we'll be able to substantially reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to lessen the impact of climate change. It's going to require a huge amount of dedicated partnership working but I know we collectively have both the will and the capacity to reach the million tree target, if we all pull together. It's impossible to overstate the benefits trees bring to the urban landscape. They help clean our air, reduce the risk of flooding, keep us cool in the summer and warmer in winter and give the wildlife in our city a home, as well as making neighbourhoods look and feel tranquil and appealing.”