Housing Associations are invited to actively participate in this summer’s £10 million Urban Forestry Programme that promises not only environmental impact but also substantial enhancement of residents’ wellbeing.
The conservation charity’s multi-year Urban Forestry Programme will support urban forestry projects such as tree planting, biodiversity enhancement, education, community involvement and green job creation to deliver environmental, social and economic benefits.
The benefits of urban trees
Future Woodlands Scotland’s Programme Manager, Des Hackett, said: “While the public is increasingly aware of trees’ role in absorbing carbon and mitigating climate change, the multifaceted benefits of urban trees are often overlooked.
“Beyond providing habitat and contributing to biodiversity, strategically placing trees close to where people live yields an array of benefits. From mitigating flooding to reducing air and noise pollution, the impact extends to numerous health and wellbeing benefits.”
There is also a real social and economic value to trees; a 2022 study put the value of individual trees planted outside of our forests and woodlands in the UK at £3.8 billion (Forest Research and Defra).
Ensuring fair access to green spaces
However, not everyone is benefitting from trees to the same extent. The excellent Tree Equity Tool developed by American Forests and brough to the UK by the Woodland Trust allows anybody to check how well their neighbourhood is doing in terms of benefitting from trees. A quick look at the map shows there are plenty of areas in urban Scotland that would benefit from more trees.
“One big problem in planting more trees in towns and cities is that it’s hard to find enough space,” explained Des. “Busy streets, buildings and a lot of concrete make it hard to create green areas with trees, shrubs and plants that make our living spaces better. This lack of green spaces hinders efforts to make urban environments more resilient to climate changes and more comfortable for people.”
Shaping the future urban landscape
Addressing this challenge head-on, Future Woodlands Scotland aims to collaborate with partners to implement the Urban Forestry Programme. Central to this initiative is progress towards the “3:30:300 rule”, developed by Cecil Konijnendijk of the Nature Based Solutions Institute. This rule states that everyone should be able to see at least three trees from their home; there should be a minimum of 30% tree canopy cover in each neighbourhood; and 300 metres should be the maximum distance to the nearest high-quality public green space. Tree planting on Housing Association land could make a real contribution to this target and dramatically improve the environment and wellbeing of residents.
To support delivery of the programme, bp has made a commitment of up to £10 million over the next decade as part of its Scottish wind farm project, Morven, jointly developed with EnBW.
Currently in the project development phase, Future Woodlands Scotland expect to launch the Programme this summer. In the meantime, further details are available at the Future Woodlands Scotland website (Urban Forestry Programme) or by contacting the Programme Manager: Des Hackett
