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Over 100 people joined us on a bright and frosty Saturday morning to plant more trees in North Oxford, as part of National Tree Week. As one of them said – “What a great way to start the day”! Thank you to everyone who came, to Oxford Direct Services who organised the trees and oversaw the event, and to International Tree Foundation, who funded the trees.

Michael Woods from Oxford Direct Services’ Parks Team was up early to prepare the site at Sunnymead Park, and the first volunteers arrived shortly before 10. Soon the park was busy with people of all ages and, under Michael’s expert supervision, 500 trees were planted in record time.

There was lots of interest in the different tree species.We planted a mix of native tree species to support local biodiversity, including oak, hazel, silver birch, sweet cherry, European spindle, Viburnum, and whitebeam. The tree planting site extends the existing woodland at Sunnymead Park, part of Oxford’s “urban forest” which, according to Oxford City Council, removes an estimated 2,500 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year as well as filtering an estimated annual 65 tonnes of airborne pollutants and intercepting around 255,000 cubic metres of rain water each year. 

Over the coming years the new trees will be monitored and maintained by Oxford’s Parks Team who will be looking to the community to support them at a mulching morning in the spring. More details in the new year. 

The planting was supported by, and part of, a wider campaign run by Oxfordshire Trees for the Future to double Oxfordshire tree cover. If you missed the 30 November event or want to do more tree planting, Oxford Friends of the Earth are organising a further event at Sunnymead Park on Saturday 7 December, in solidarity with a global tree planting initiative to promote the United Nations Climate Talks (‘COP25’) taking place in Madrid.