Melksham goes wild for trees! Town council launch exciting tree planting campaign

An ambitious tree planting campaign has been launched by the town council.

The campaign will see up to £1,000 spent on tree seedlings (whips) that will be given away for free to local town council rate-paying residents to plant in their private gardens. 

It is hoped that the trees will be planted by March, and residents interested in applying for one of the free tree seedlings will soon be able to register their interest online. The council will also engage with local schools to invite them to plant some of the trees.

In addition, the council will spend over £3,100 on trees of a more mature age (approximately 8-10cm in girth, and one metre high) that will be planted in public spaces that have been identified as not having much greenery. The trees selected for planting will be carbon-absorbing species – supporting the council’s pledge last year to fight climate change and make Melksham a carbon neutral town by 2030.

The council will work with Wiltshire Council to identify suitable locations for the ‘mature’ trees to be planted before consulting with residents in the selected areas about the plans. 

The council also intends to explore how they can involve volunteers in the campaign to help support the ongoing maintenance of the trees.

The campaign was recommended to the town council by members of its environment and climate working group.