East Renfrewshire Council to plant 10,400 trees to create COP26 legacy

St Ninian’s High pupils Andrew McFadyen and Maria Sattar join East Renfrewshire provost Jim Fletcher and council leader Tony Buchanan

The initiative involves forming 26 woods about the size of a tennis court, each with 400 oak, aspen and silver birch trees.

COP26 is being held in Glasgow until November 12, as world leaders will join forces to discuss the global climate emergency.

To mark this significant international event, and to support the council’s climate change ambitions, the project launched this week with the planting of the first 400 trees within Eastwood Park.

Over the duration of COP26, the council is planting six of the wooded areas, with the remaining 20 being created by March 2022.

It is expected that over the lifetime of the trees, each wood will contribute to 50kg of CO2 being taken out of the atmosphere every year – supporting the council’s drive towards a net-zero future.

Council leader, Councillor Tony Buchanan, who planted one of the first trees at the newly created wooded area in Eastwood Park, said: “I’m delighted that this initiative to create 26 small wooded areas across East Renfrewshire has launched.

"It will not only provide areas of beauty for the local community to visit, but will also play a key part in delivering on our climate change commitment.

"With COP26 right on our doorstep, the spotlight is on climate change and this is a welcome step forward for the area. We will continue to work closely with our partners in the years ahead to play our part in supporting the drive for net zero carbon emissions by 2045.”

As part of the project, a number of schools and community groups will also be involved, with pupils from nearby St Ninian’s High School mucking in to plant some of the new trees within Eastwood Park.

The first six woods, to be planted during COP26, will be created in areas across East Renfrewshire, at: Eastwood Park; near Capelrig Burn, Newton Mearns; Thornliebank Playing Fields; Netherlee Park; Eaglesham Park; and Carlibar Park.

All of the remaining 20 woods will be planted by the end of March 2022 at parks across the area.