Hundreds of trees set to be planted on Oxfordshire's streets

The move comes as Oxfordshire County Council's Tree Service looks to bolster the county's urban tree population, with the aim of improving public safety, enhancing air quality, and providing better habitats for wildlife.

Over the last two years, more than 800 standard trees have been planted on highways across the county - a number which is set to be matched this planting season.

The new trees will be cared for by the council's in-house Tree Aftercare and Planting Service for the next three years.

The new trees will be cared for by the council's in-house Tree Aftercare and Planting Service (Image: Climate Action Oxfordshire) The trees will also be looked after by a growing number of volunteer Tree Guardians.

The council said this extra care will help the trees to establish well, and will ensure they live a long and healthy life.

The announcement of the plans to plant the new trees comes during National Tree Week, which runs from November 23 to December 1.

The initiative began more than 50 years ago and acts a prompt to plant more trees.

The council's tree service manages the county's tree stock across the highway network and council-owned properties, estates, and schools.

The service is also collaborating with community groups, parish councils, and primary schools to plant 200 fruit trees.

These trees will create new community orchards, thanks to a grant from the Coronation Living Heritage Fund.

There will also be 200 fruit tress planted (Image: Climate Action Oxfordshire) Climate Action Oxfordshire said the orchards will be a "fantastic resource" for communities.

It added: "Orchards have historically been a valued feature of our towns and villages, and this is a great link to our past traditions while providing food for the future."

The organisation also stressed the benefits of trees, saying: "Trees are an incredible asset, conferring a huge range of benefits to people and the environment, which are especially valuable in our changing climate and biodiversity crisis."

In addition to their aesthetic appeal, they create links between fragmented habitats and provide food and homes for wildlife, from birds and mammals to insects and lichen.

Through photosynthesis, trees convert carbon dioxide to sugars, locking away carbon in their tissues as they grow.

They also help to combat the Urban Heat Island effect, which causes city temperatures to rise significantly higher than those in surrounding areas.

This can make extreme heat events more dangerous for city residents, but trees can help to alleviate some of the impacts.

The evaporation of water from tree leaves creates a cooling effect, similar to the way humans sweat.

Trees also improve air quality, capture particulates, and reduce noise pollution.