The Council will plant 500 tree young trees in 2022/23, to provide a supply of healthy new trees and make Royal Greenwich a greener borough. The new nursery has been created by converting a corner of the site in Eltham, which was previously used for storing green waste.
Cllr Averil Lekau, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport said: “Growing young trees in our own nursery will mean we have a supply of beautiful trees available to plant across the borough.
“We set a target to plant 2000 new trees by 2022, and we’re very proud to have beaten that target ahead of schedule. As well as making the borough a greener and more attractive place, trees are an important part of our eco-climate that help to store carbon and protect from pollution. This is just one of the many ways in which we’re working to tackle the climate crisis and deliver our Carbon Neutral Plan.”
The trees were bought with a combination of grant funding from the Greater London Authority and Council budget. The nursery is not open to the public to help protect the young trees whilst they grow. Residents will be able to visit and enjoy the trees, when they’ve been moved to their forever homes in sites around the borough.
Cllr Adel Khaireh, Cabinet Member for Equality, Culture and Communities said: “We’re privileged to live in a borough with so much green space. Over the past four years, we’ve been investing £1.5million in improving our parks and green spaces.
“To continue our work towards a greener borough, our aim is to double the number of new trees planted to 5,000 by 2026 and continue to invest in our parks.”
Once they have grown, some of the new saplings will replace trees that did not survive the summer heatwave. Residents of the borough can report trees that should be replaced by emailing [email protected] with the location.
Residents are also encouraged to adopt newly planted trees and help water them. The community surrounding Plumstead Common was essential in the survival of new elm trees. The Council hopes this will inspire others to adopt trees and give them 20 litres of water once a week. Please email [email protected] if you’re interested in getting involved.
