3,500 new trees for north Edinburgh’s cycle paths
Published March 13, 2015 by Richard in Previous Work
In early 2014, Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust planted some 3,500 new trees alongside the North Edinburgh path network – a mixture of smaller species that won’t tend to block the light and sightlines, such as silver birch, rowan, hazel, cherry, hawthorn and alder, and some larger specimens – oak and Scots pine (which is Scotland’s national tree).
The planting is the culmination of the work the Trust carried out over the winter to cut back and thin many of the trees whose branches were blocking light and sight lines, were dangerous or simply growing in the wrong place. They were able to tackle some blackspots, such as the dense laurel at the underpass going into Victoria Park which has been drastically cut back.
Near Ferry Road, a bank was home to the menace which is Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam. They were both treated, and the bank was bare and barren. By planting the trees, they won’t be choked by the invasive species and once the trees have grown and begun to form a canopy, the shade will outcompete any remaining plants, allowing other, native species to become established.
The planting was supported by the Central Scotland Green Network and match funded by the City of Edinburgh Council and hopefully we’ll all be seeing the benefits for years to come and watch them grow.
