THE BOROUGH council is celebrating after 'smashing' its tree planting target over the past year.

Nearly 20,000 trees have been planted over the 2021/22 planting season, almost doubling the target set for Test Valley Borough Council.

Last year, the council announced its target to plant 10,000 trees over the autumn and winter months in a bid to help tackle climate change and improve the environment.

Now, climate change and countryside portfolio holder, Cllr Alison Johnston, has revealed that a total of 19,325 trees have been planted across the borough.

READ MORE: 10000 trees to be planted in Test Valley in three years

A total of 600 have been planted at Anton Lakes, almost 2,000 at Harewood Common and a further 1,200 at Hunts Farm, Timsbury. Through the Hampshire Dormice Project, 500 were also planted at Finkley Down Farm.

The whips are mixed native species, with other planting locations including Ox Drove, Picket Twenty and Valley Park woodlands. The commitment to plant them came after the borough council declared a climate emergency in September 2019.

Cllr Johnston, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that we have been able to smash the initial 10,000 figure that we set just over six months ago. The efforts that go into a project like this are huge, and we need the good will of volunteers and the dedication from landowners.

“With the help of partners, we're absolutely committed to keeping this going and plan to plant a similar number of trees in each of the next three years.”

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