Hackney Council is set to plant 5,000 new street trees by 2022. This will increase canopy cover by 50% in the single largest investment in trees in the history of the borough.

Also, the council will deliver an additional 1,000 high-quality trees in parks and green spaces, and work with local volunteers and the third sector to deliver many more.

The new commitment expands the council’s existing promise to plant 1,000 trees by 2022. It will see the same number of street trees planted in the next three years than have been planted since 2000.

The programme will take a science-based approach to tree selection and distribution. It will choose trees to ensure that considerations about carbon dioxide capture, biodiversity, and resilience to man made global warming are at the very forefront of the council’s investments in green infrastructure.

By increasing on-street canopy cover from 20% to 30% by 2022, Hackney Council is beginning to build-in resilience to future heat-related hospital admissions and energy demand for air conditioning.

The council’s forthcoming programme also represents a new focus on trees as public health infrastructure.

The council has said that the new trees will be a 50/50 mix of native and non-native trees. Ensuring that trees are appropriate for their setting and resilient to pests and the changing climate.