Take a walk in the Leicestershire countryside and you will find miles of greenery and thousands of trees managed and monitored by Leicestershire County Council.

The council’s Forestry & Arboriculture team take care of over 321,000 trees across the county, with trees and woodlands playing a vital part in giving our county clean air, improving soil quality and reducing the risk of flooding. Trees also help towards the council’s goal of being a net zero county by 2045.

The most common tree species in the county are ash, oak and sycamore, but the team have recorded 277 different species across Leicestershire. Out of all the trees under the council’s care, 37 per-cent can be found on county parks, and 35 per-cent can be found on highways. All of the leaves on these trees could cover a football pitch 1,638 times.

Tree health and safety inspections across the county are carried out by the council’s specialist team, following an annual plan. Tree inspectors look for signs of poor health, disease and anything which is an obstruction to the road or visibility. They use their knowledge of the law and how trees live, function, and grow to ensure the tree’s safety.

Inspections identify any required tree work, which is then carried out by the council’s tree surgeons. They use machinery and climbing equipment to complete the work, from pruning or, if absolutely necessary, taking down a tree.

Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for the environment and for the green agenda said:

“The fantastic work of our Forestry & Arboriculture team help to protect and enhance the county’s urban and rural woodlands, ensuring these areas can thrive for the benefit of future generations."

“We’ve already planted 250,000 and are well on the way to our goal of planting 700,000 trees over the next ten years, so we recognise the important benefits treescapes give us environmentally, ecologically and socially.”

Stewart Marshall, Team Leader for Forestry & Arboriculture said:

“Every year trees under our care absorb around the same amount of carbon as is produced by 19,700 family cars, so the environmental impacts are huge."

“Our dedicated team work hard throughout the year completing inspections and responding to tree related enquiries. As we aim for a greener future, it is more important than ever to recognise how important our trees are.”

An interactive map is available to view trees planted across Leicestershire, and an online tree recording form is also live, where residents can note if they have planted a tree here.

Certain trees across the county may be protected by Tree Preservation Orders (TPO) or are within a local conservation area. This statutory protection can be applied to trees which bring significant benefits to the local area, whether it is a single tree or all trees within a defined area.

Residents can apply to carry out works to protected trees first through contacting their local district or borough council. To identify if a tree is protected by a county council TPO, visit the website to view an online map here.