Tree planting continues in North Ayrshire
An ambitious aim to plant 108,000 trees across North Ayrshire is progressing well with projects including a new one in Irvine.
North Ayrshire Council plans to meet this target, through its Tree Planting Strategy, as part of its drive to be carbon neutral by 2030.
And to contribute to this, 2240 trees have been planted at Milgarholm Park – including native species such as hawthorn, hornbeam, sycamore, elm and willow. Planting took place in March and the trees are establishing well.
The council declared a climate emergency in June 2019, setting a net zero emissions target for 2030, and the Sustainable North Ayrshire Strategy provides a route map to achieve this target, and also tackle both the climate and nature emergencies.
Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy, visited Milgarholm Park recently to hear more about the project from Streetscene Strategy Manager Martin Gorman.
Quote: It is great to see so many trees being planted as this is incredibly important work that aligns with our 2030 target. We all know that trees are vital to the environment as they act as carbon sinks, absorbing carbon dioxide. They capture and store carbon, and this helps to cut the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, which are the primary drivers of climate change.
Quote from: Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy
Through the Woodland Grant Fund, communities across the six localities can play their part in the drive to see more trees being planted.
This fund delivers tree planting and woodland creation activity at grass roots level, by supporting new and developing tree planting projects, including the creation of community orchards.
The scheme has already proved successful, with thousands of trees having been planted throughout the mainland and on Arran.
A variety of groups have successfully received funding – with a limit of £5000 per year - to deliver projects ranging from the creation of small community fruit orchards to larger scale native woodland creation.
Quote: Almost 50,000 trees have been planted so far, so we are making steady progress. I would encourage community group with an interest in their local environment to find out more about the Woodland Grant Fund, and discover how they can contribute to the tree-planting drive.
Quote from: Marie Burns, Leader of North Ayrshire Council
If you are part of a constituted community group and would like to find out more about North Ayrshire’s 2030 Woodland Grant Fund, please go online here for guidance and an application form. Tree planting is part of the Council’s wider North Ayrshire Nature Network (NANN) Strategy, driving actions like regenerating the natural environment, empowering communities to play their part and improving habitat quality for wildlife. For more information on the Council’s biodiversity and conservation actions, please go online here.
Published: 11 April 2025