Ambitious plans to plant 700,000 trees in Leicestershire have received a boost after the County Council was awarded more than £200,000 in grant funding for two tree projects.

Also boosting the council's ambitions to help plant a tree for every person in the county, the authority has been successful in its bid for £150,000 from the Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund.

The grant will be used to support and deliver a number of tree planting initiatives across the county over the next two years, including the creation of a new woodland officer post.

The council has also been awarded £55,830 from the Forestry Commission's Treescapes Fund, which will be used for a number of planting initiatives in the county, including new woodland creation and planting at the side of roads.

The council has developed a Strategic Plan, which recognises the importance of the natural environment and the countryside in making Leicestershire an attractive place to live and work, as well as playing a role in the ambition for the county to be net zero carbon neutral by 2045.

Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for the environment and the green agenda, said: "Leicestershire's trees and woodlands can provide multiple benefits that improve the quality of life for our citizens and communities. We have identified tree and woodland planting as part of our response to the climate change and biodiversity crises and are working towards helping to plant a tree for every resident, with more than 110,000 planted so far.

"The new funding will help deliver our ambitious objectives and provide expertise for ensuring advice, support and direct delivery of tree planting schemes can be achieved, accessing both our own funding for tree planting and from external bodies such as the Forestry Commission."

More information on the council's tree ambitions and an interactive map showing the number of trees planted is available at www.leicestershire.gov.uk/trees

Leicestershire is one of the least wooded areas of the country with currently around 6% woodland – well below the national average of 10 per cent.

Trees and woodlands play an important part in cleaning up the environment, providing clean air, improving soil quality, and reducing flooding.