Residents are to benefit from improved green spaces as trees are to be planted in 15 Cornish towns and villages as part of the Forest for Cornwall.

A total of 19 sites will see the new, carbon-absorbing canopy cover, which will count towards Cornwall Council’s flagship project to help tackle the climate emergency.

Councillor Edwina Hannaford, Cornwall’s cabinet member for climate change and neighbourhoods, said: “This new tree canopy cover will not only count towards the Forest for Cornwall and help address the climate emergency, it will increase accessibility to open spaces for our residents, helping people socialise, get out and about into nature on their doorsteps and exercise for free with clear benefits for their personal and community wellbeing.

“Access to woodlands for our residents of Cornwall is currently fairly limited, with only 41 per cent of residents living within 4km of a woodland, so there is a real need for trees in our towns and villages.

“We hope our climate action inspires others to plant more trees in their communities – whether you are a town and parish council, school, organisation or individual who wants to take positive steps to tackling the climate emergency, get in touch with us so we can support you in contributing to the Forest for Cornwall.”

Planting for 13 of the locations will be part-funded by the Government’s Forestry Commission after the council won a £87,000 bid under the Urban Tree Challenge Fund which aims to expand woodlands and tree cover across England.

The Forest for Cornwall programme is co-financing these sites as well as providing all funding for the remaining six sites.

The initiative follows the community launch of the Forest for Cornwall at Saltash last December with the help of the Woodland Trust, volunteers, residents and school pupils.

A total of 208 native and non-native trees are due to be planted with Forestry Commission support across the following locations:

  • Thanckes Park, Antony Road, Torpoint
  • Berryfields and Wallace Road, Bodmin
  • Hillside Park, Bodmin
  • Coronation Close, Callington
  • B3266 verge, Valley Truckle, Camelford
  • Land at Harbour View, Hayle
  • Public open space at St James View, Indian Queens
  • Culverland Park and Wrey Avenue, Liskeard
  • Polwhele Road, Treloggan Road and Treloggan Road roundabout, Newquay
  • Princess May Recreation Ground, Penzance
  • Treweath Road, Penzance
  • Trethowel Recreation Ground, St Austell
  • Trelander Highway Housing Estate, Truro

A total of 76 trees funded by the Forest for Cornwall are set to be planted across the following sites:

  • Public open space at Boconnoc Avenue, Callington
  • Land at Sunnyside Parc, Illogan
  • Brea Playing Field, Pool
  • Open space land at the Paddock, Redruth
  • Raymond Road Playing Field, Redruth
  • Hawthorn Avenue, Torpoint

Planting for Torpoint, Callington, Illogan, Pool and Redruth will take place over the next month while the remaining sites will be planted in the following planting season from October onwards.

The trees will be a mixture of native broadleaf and non-native trees to provide resilience to local disease and climate changes.

The Forest for Cornwall is the council’s flagship carbon-reducing programme to cover 8,000 hectares of land across Cornwall over the next decade with woodlands, forests and other canopy cover.

More information on the Forest for Cornwall and how to get involved is at www.cornwall.gov.uk/forestforconwall.