Tree Planting in Test Valley
In 2021, the council set out to plant almost 11,000 trees over the autumn and winter months in a bid to help tackle climate change and improve the environment. With the help of partners and volunteers, over the 2021/22 planting season we managed to plant a total of 19,325 trees across the borough.
The below image indicates some of the main planting locations. This included a 600 trees at Anton Lakes, almost 2,000 at Harewood Common and a further 1,200 at Hunts Farm, Timsbury. Through the Hampshire Dormice Project, 500 were also planted at Finkley Down Farm.
The planting consisted of young trees or ‘whips’ and standard trees in a range of species, from hazel, hawthorn, blackthorn and field maple to beech, alder, oak and lime.
While ash dieback, a disease that has almost decimated the UK’s ash species, has proved a major challenge for councils up and down the country, we have committed to replacing every tree felled, as well as planting additional trees.
We have also been reducing the number of scheduled grass cuts in particular areas to encourage wildflowers to grow as part of the creation of urban meadows.