FOR FIVE consecutive years, Tower Hamlets has been recognised as a Tree City of the World by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation and Arbor Day Foundation.
The borough has also been awarded five stars in the inaugural Growth Awards and been recognised as the leading Tree City in the UK
The awards come after the Council made a commitment in 2022 to plant 4,000 trees over the four years of Mayor Lutfur Rahman’s term of office. In fact, more than 6,000 trees have been planted over the last four years: •1,389 trees on public highways and streets; •3,935 across parks and open spaces; •917 in housing estates
Trees do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to greening Tower Hamlets. They help make the streets look nicer, but they also improve air quality and boost biodiversity. When trees are planted along a pavement, some of the paving stones around them are cut away – which provides more space for water to drain into the soil rather than puddle up on the pavements.
It’s not over yet. Mayor Lutfur Rahman welcomed the Tree City of the World award and warned, “We’re not stopping there. We’re committed to planning a further 1,000 trees on our streets, in our parks and across our estates.”
Mary King from Trees for Cities also welcomed the award, pointing out that Tower Hamlets is the only UK local authority to achieve all five criteria for the Growth Awards. “Tower Hamlets has been a fantastic partner to work with,” she said, “and we look forward to continuing this crucial work supporting communities with the health benefits and climate resilience provided by trees.”
●Help the Council plant more trees: Sponsor a Tree
●Volunteer to help at tree planting events: Volunteer
●Read more about it: July Voice raises worries over trees That’s some Jolly Green Trees