How Edinburgh's tree-planting campaign has been meeting some resistance – John McLellan

I’ve not seen any recent market research, but I reckon most people like trees, especially as we’re all aware of how good they are at sooking up carbon dioxide.
Planting trees is a good way to soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (Picture: Michael Gillen)Planting trees is a good way to soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (Picture: Michael Gillen)
Planting trees is a good way to soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (Picture: Michael Gillen)

With one of those round figures designed for press releases, Edinburgh Council set itself a target of being a “Million-tree City” by 2030 to add to the 731,000 we already have, and it’s a target I hope it meets.

Now the West is getting in on the act with the announcement of a new Clyde Climate Forest of 18 million trees around Greater Glasgow in the next ten years.

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Just before the election, the Meadowbank & Craigentinny community council did its bit, thanks largely to the sterling efforts of member Dr Eleanor Harris, who just happens to be an expert in forestry and environmental land management.

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With the assistance of local scouts, we planted 150 hazel, silver birch, rowan and crab apple trees in open spaces around Loganlea, Restalrig and Craigentinny, and where I was in Restalrig local residents who popped over to see what was going on were very pleased to see the efforts to improve the environment.

Well, nearly everyone was happy. Last Saturday out on a litter pick we noticed some trees were missing, their protective sheaths tossed aside. Seemingly for the benefit of Councillor Joan Griffiths and I, one person who perhaps knew what had happened said loudly, “I hope they aren’t planting any more trees.”

More happily, the trees I planted seem to be doing OK, but there really is no pleasing some folk.

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