Yahoo News The £1m fund which means 965 trees can be planted across Lancashire
Hundreds of new trees could be planted in Lancashire, thanks to a huge grant of £1 million.
Lancashire County Council has been successful in an ambitious bid for £1,002,514 which is the largest award given from the Local Authority Treescapes Fund by the Forestry Commission. It restores trees in non-woodland areas, impacted by issues such as disease, ageing or habitat degradation.
965 trees between 5ft and 8ft tall can be planted using the grant, 465 of which can replace dead or damaged highway trees. The rest will be planted in parks, schools and other premises across Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool, Burnley, Hyndburn, Preston and Fylde.
READ MORE: River's poor water status at Lancashire beauty-spot 'shows need for action on pollution'
READ MORE: One of Lancashire's oldest and biggest parks is set for £3m regeneration
24,000 saplings, very small trees that need time to mature, will also be funded by the grant. They will mostly be planted as Miyawaki Micro-woods, which are planted in a special way to optimise their growth.
16 new Micro-woods are hoped to be created, one in each district of Lancashire. Each Micro-wood will contain 1,500 tree and shrub plants and will be planted in an area slightly bigger than a tennis court.
Japanese botanist Dr Akira Miyawaki developed this unique tree planting technique, which involves enhancing the soil and planting trees closer together, which results in faster growth than traditional techniques. This faster growth allows carbon to be absorbed faster.
Councillor Shaun Turner said: "It is wonderful to see this £1million investment in trees across Lancashire – and these will be planted across the county in a range of different schemes. The Miyawaki Micro-woods are fantastic as they absorb carbon faster than traditionally planted woodlands do, as they will grow faster and be so densely populated. We are looking forward to rolling out this scheme as soon as possible."
