As the months pass and we get closer to winter, my thoughts are going to the opportunity to plant more trees, which is a wintertime activity.

We know that tree planting helps the atmosphere breathe and provides some resilience in the event of flooding. Last winter, Gloucester City Council and its contractors planted some 13,000 trees, which was the most we had ever managed in a single year.

The planning was rather last minute and not all places chosen to carry out planting were acceptable. A number have not survived the very hot and especially dry weather. This winter we want to be more prepared and have more support from residents.

This year, many parts of the country have experienced some of the hottest temperatures ever known and Gloucestershire was no exception. More tree planting will eventually give more shade, which will help to keep temperatures lower. It is well known that properly planted streets can lead to temperature reductions of 2 or 3 degrees.

So, officers are asking residents to advise where, in their areas of the city, they think trees should be planted.

Get involved and have your say

Please get in touch with your local City Councillors to let them know where there are spaces which you think could benefit from more trees and more shade, and let them know if you want to be part of a Friends Group, which is prepared to be involved in the planting.

Schools can also get parents and children to participate. Children love to keep an eye on ‘their’ trees. It’s often a fun time where you can meet a group of like-minded people and spend a couple of hours planting 100-200 trees in a small patch.

Some officers may also be involved to give advice on planting and marking out where the planting has taken place, so they are not damaged by future grounds maintenance. It also helps to ensure that trees are not unsuitably planted, which can often lead to future problems of maintenance or care.

With help from residents, let’s see if we can do better than we managed last year, which will help provide future resilience from climate busting temperatures.