Rother’s tree population is set to be boosted thanks to funding to mark the Coronation of King Charles III.
Rother District Council has been allocated £76,173.50 from Defra’s Coronation Living Heritage Fund, to create green spaces and connect communities with nature.
The money will be used to establish urban micro woods and community orchards, which will have a positive effect on the local environment and the health and wellbeing of residents.
Cllr Kathryn Field, the council’s portfolio holder for environmental and climate strategy, said: “We welcome this funding which will support our ambitious and ongoing efforts to reduce the district’s carbon footprint and be of great benefit to our residents. It’s a fantastic way for us to mark the Coronation of the King.
“The planting of appropriate trees in appropriate locations will help to develop a more diverse, healthy, resilient tree population in Rother.
“Both the micro woods and community orchard schemes will not only help to tackle climate change, but also provide more habitats for our local pollinator species and other wildlife across the district.”
Part of the funding will enable Rother District Council to offer grants to local organisations and community groups to cover the costs of a new community orchards of at least five trees.
Further details of the grants are set to be released in spring 2024, but it is hoped that community orchards will become a focal point for community activities, bringing people together to plant and cultivate a variety of fruit or nut trees.
The other part of the funding will enable the district council to plant three urban micro woods in winter of 2024/25. The woods will be around the size of a tennis court, planted with a variety of native trees and shrubs in a way that replicates the natural process of forest regeneration, promotes fast growth, increased resilience and reduces the need for ongoing maintenance.
While locations for the micro woods are yet to be confirmed, any organisations interested in registering an interest in volunteering to support planting are invited to contact the district council’s Climate Projects Officer at climate.emergency@rother.gov.uk
For information about the district council’s environment strategy and the action it is taken to tackle climate change, visit www.rother.gov.uk/strategies-policies-and-plans/environment-strategy/
The Coronation Living Heritage Fund supported by £2.5m in funding has been made available through Defra’s £758m Nature for Climate Fund to allow county, unitary, metropolitan, London borough, district and city local authorities the chance to apply for up to two grants for projects ranging between £10,000 and £50,000. The funding will support the development of micro woods and community orchards and commemorate the King’s Coronation. Funds can be distributed across projects in their area.
Through the England Trees Action Plan and supported by the £758m Nature for Climate Fund Defra will help to transform the treescape and the forestry sector helping to put the UK on track to meet net zero targets, reverse the decline in nature and support economic growth.
Published: 29th November 2023
