Green campaigners have planted 250 trees in Keswick’s Upper Fitz Park thanks to a donation from The Woodland Trust.
The project was a rooted in a response and a commitment by Fitz Park trustees to address climate change and biodiversity issues at a local level.
It came a year after the trustees declared a climate emergency and an area of scrub land close to the BMX track was allocated for tree planting and carbon capture.
Alder and willow trees were chosen for the area of land as they are suited to the conditions.
The trees were donated by The Woodland Trust and volunteers from Sustainable Keswick went along to help dig them in.
“We have been helping people plant trees and create woodland for nearly 50 years,” said Pete Leeson, partnership manager of The Woodland Trust.
“Now, with ever increasing knowledge of climate change and biodiversity loss, the simple act of planting a tree becomes even more important – we need both old and young trees throughout our landscape.
“Fitz Park is a perfect place where we can support local insect and bird life by managing every age of tree for now and for the future.”
Elizabeth Barraclough, from Sustainable Keswick, had hoped to make a tree planting day a community event, but unfortunately social distancing meant it was not possible and the trees needed to be in the ground.
“Not only will these trees eventually capture many tons of carbon over their lifetime, they will also create a wildlife haven for nesting birds and all sorts of insect populations,” she said.
“There are already nesting mallards here and who knows what other wildlife will establish itself in these new trees”
Parks manager Christine Fawcett selected the species as they are suited to wetter ground conditions and are in keeping with the area.
She added: “ In future additional tree species can be added to increase food sources for wildlife including rowan, whitebeam and cherry.”
