Rooting for success as 500 new trees are planted across Rochdale

Posted by on 23 Jan 2024

Five hundred new trees are taking root across the borough of Rochdale as part of the council’s commitment to increase urban tree cover.                                                         

The work is possible thanks to the donation of 472 trees from City of Trees - Greater Manchester’s community forest.

Several selected sites will benefit from the large standard trees funded through the Northern Forest funding programme and will be the largest number of semi-mature trees planted in one season, with additional trees funded by the council to help expand tree canopy.

In Middleton 118 trees will be planted in Penrhyn Park, St Leonard’s, Cheltenham Green, Buttermere Drive, Mere Avenue, Mainway, and the Langley Corridor.

Across the Pennines, 149 trees will be planted at Beadle Avenue, Stubley Mill Road, Barnes Meadow, Halliwell Street, and Elizabethan Way.

While in Heywood, 97 trees will be planted at Higher Lomax Lane, Cherwell Avenue, Wilton Grove, Greenfield Court, Waterfold Lane, Argyle Street and Sutherland Road.

Rochdale will benefit from 108 trees at Ashfield Valley, Waithlands Road, Ings Lane Library, Ings Lane Play area, Petrus, and Denehurst Park, including five mixed fruit trees.

Expanding tree canopy in urban environments improves how an area looks, but more importantly, provides shade, aids biodiversity, regulates temperatures, intercepts rainfall, and contributes to air purification by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen to play an essential role in air quality.

Councillor Liam O’Rourke, the council’s cabinet member for climate change and environment, said: “Residents may have seen several trees popping up across the borough in urban areas, and we are thrilled that City of Trees has kindly provided these trees that not only enhance the landscape of our streets but play a vital role in aiding air quality and so much more.

“We are investing in these trees for the long term to grow them to maturity to benefit our natural environment as we continue to do everything we can to increase tree coverage as part of ongoing commitments to achieve net-zero carbon targets by 2038 and beyond.”

In addition, City of Trees will be planting thousands of smaller trees (whips) as part of their woodland creation work, across Rochdale in the coming months and will be asking residents to join them at planned volunteering days.

Pete Stringer, from City of Trees, added: “We are proud to call Greater Manchester home and are passionate about making our region even better, one tree at a time. We’re pleased to be working with
Rochdale to create a better, greener place for residents to live and work; to boost health and wellbeing and to help tackle the climate and biodiversity emergency.

“We encourage residents to come along to one of our volunteer days. There’s nothing more rewarding than planting a young tree and then watching it grow over the years as it provides benefits to our future generations.”

To sign up to a local tree planting event with City of Trees, visit - cityoftrees.org.uk/events

Read more on the council’s climate change pledge: rochdale.gov.uk/climatechange