Love Wimbledon Plant Over 250 New Trees
Probably the longest native woodland hedge in Wimbledon!
Love Wimbledon always strives to reduce it’s impact on the environment. Thus ahead of National Tree Week and in conjunction with the Woodland Trust’s The Big Climate Fightback, Love Wimbledon has pledged to help fight the climate emergency, by planting over 250 new saplings in Hartfield Road.
As well as being one of the best ways to fight a changing climate, planting trees can help to improve air quality and protect biodiversity in urban areas. Younger trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, at a rate of nearly 6kgs per tree.
This means that the new hedge planted by Love Wimbledon will absorb approximately 1,500kgs of CO2 and have a significant impact upon air pollution in Wimbledon. This is especially significant given that the majority of buses in Wimbledon Town Centre, pass through Hartfield Road, in addition to cars, lorries, taxi’s and vans.
Love Wimbledon’s double-row hedge features a variety of species including Rowan, Hazel, Cherry, Elder and Crab Apple trees.
These saplings have been carefully selected to offer beautiful blossoms, bright berries and stunning autumn displays, whilst also acting as a connection for existing woodland so that wildlife stay on the move.
Trees are essential for people, wildlife and the environment. They absorb carbon, fight flooding, reduce pollution, nurture wildlife and make landscapes more resilient. But given the alarming rate of global warming on our planet, reducing our carbon emissions will never be enough.
‘It is vital that we grow a UK-wide patchwork of trees and woods – not just by planting, but also through natural regeneration. The woods, hedges and green spaces we create buffer existing habitats, tackle climate change and reverse wildlife decline – all at the same time’.
– The Woodland Trust
This comes as part of the ‘Free Trees for Schools and Communities’ programme run by the Woodland Trust, and funded by Sainsburys, People’s Postcode Lottery, Yorkshire Tea, Joules and Selfridges.
For more information on what Love Wimbledon are doing to improve air quality in Wimbledon Town Centre, including the Adopt A Tree campaign, visit our air quality page.
