Coalville district councillor Nick Rushton is backing an ambitious green plan which will see 700,000 new trees planted across Leicestershire,

The scheme is designed to make the county greener and boost biodiversity – with one tree planned for every resident in the county.

The county council says Leicestershire is one of the least wooded areas of the country, currently around six per cent woodland – well below the national average of 10 per cent.

Currently, Leicestershire County Council manages around 321,000 trees (including 404 hectares of woodland), but with diseases such as Ash Die Back placing more trees under threat, the authority's strategy and action plan, adopted in May 2020, will see the number of trees across the county increase dramatically.

It has already started to improve, thanks to the National Forest which has increased forest cover in North West Leicestershire to 21 per cent.

This is a success story which the council is now keen to replicate elsewhere, in towns, villages, on farms, country parks and open spaces and embedded in the design of new housing and employment developments.

The tree planting will also support the county council's pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030, as trees and woodlands play an important part in cleaning up the environment, providing clean air, improving soil quality and reducing flooding.

Leader of Leicestershire County Council Cllr Rushton said: "Trees and woodlands enhance our quality of life: they support wildlife, help combat climate change and add beauty to our towns, villages and countryside. But they face unprecedented challenges. We want to protect and enhance Leicestershire's trees and woodlands so that they will continue to benefit future generations."

Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for the environment, added: "The need for increased tree cover, both globally and locally, is well documented as a major action to mitigate climate change and we are determined to take action now to ensure future generations can enjoy the wide-ranging benefits brought by trees and woodlands."

And it is not just the environment which will benefit - research shows that a walk among trees reduces stress and improves mental wellbeing.

The council has submitted applications for grant funding to the Forestry Commission to help tree planting projects take root and to enable sustainable woodland management across its country parks and is looking for further opportunities to increase tree planting across the county.

Leicestershire County Council currently provides a free tree scheme for farmers and landowners and works closely with the Woodland Trust to offer tree packs for planting projects including the new hedgerows and the creation of new woodlands.