Derby plants thousands of trees as part of Jubilee initiative

Derby has so far planted more than 12,000 trees as part of an initiative marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

As part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project, which is a unique national tree planting initiative, the city has planted 12,000 small trees and 162 large trees.

Community groups, volunteers, schools and residents have been working alongside Derby City Council’s Parks and Trees teams to plant the trees around the city.

They have been planted in many of the city council’s parks, on highway verges and areas of low tree cover.

Earlier this year, Derby was given ‘Champion City’ status in recognition of the city’s commitment to the Queen’s Green Canopy project.

Councillor Jerry Pearce, the city council’s cabinet member for Streetpride, leisure and public spaces, said: “The Queen’s Green Canopy is a unique opportunity to support celebrating 70 years of Her Majesty’s reign, sustaining the environment for future generations and providing greener spaces for Derby residents to enjoy.

“Derby is proud to be part of this national celebration.”

The city council’s Trees team have successfully planted 162 large trees made up of 80 different species.

They are aiming to plant a further 100 large specimen trees between October and December.

Meanwhile, the Derby Parks team have facilitated the planting of over 12,000 small trees, alongside many different groups from within the community, to create new pockets of woodland throughout the city.

Certain tree species have been chosen because they will provide great impact to the city, once mature.

Teams are now currently looking to install Queen’s Green Canopy plaques for each tree or area planted.

The plaques will have QR codes, so that residents and visitors can find out more about the trees.

The codes will also link to a map showing where all the Jubilee trees have been planted.

Anna Murphy, the city council’s arboricultural officer, said: “We are very proud to be part of the national project and for Derby to have been recognised as a Champion City.

“Every tree we plant is an asset for the city in the present and the future.”

In a statement, Trees for Derby, a community charity committed to planting 250,000 trees in Derby, one for every Derby resident, said: “We’re really pleased to see so many wonderful trees appearing across Derby’s parks and green spaces.

“These new trees will be an asset to the city for generations to come.”

Anyone who would like to sponsor a tree as part of ‘plant a tree for the Jubilee’, should e-mail trees@derby.gov.uk for more information.