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Each year, brightly-lit Christmas trees help people in Stockport get into the Christmas mood. Now this year, Stockport Council is helping keep the borough green, by planting new permanent trees.
The Councils Streetscene service has taken the lead in planting six Christmas-type trees, which can be decorated in the usual way for the festive season, and still be enjoyed by residents for the rest of the year.
The trees, which are expected to grow at a rate of almost half a metre a year, have where possible been placed next to other decorations while they are getting established. But over the next few years they should be able to stand alone.
As part of the environmentally-friendly scheme, the Council is also decorating existing trees. Almost 15,000 white bulbs have been used to decorate around 70 existing trees in 14 different locations.
By using newly planted trees and decorating existing trees, the Council has cut its order for temporary trees to only 20, compared to 38 last year. The temporary trees are shredded after Christmas.
Councillor Hazel Lees, Stockport Councils Executive Member for the Environment, said: Christmas trees are a traditional part of celebrations at this time of year, but we sometimes forget the environmental cost involved. Trees are cut down and brought in from as far away as Scotland and Wales, then shredded at the end of the festive season. Planting new trees will not only give pleasure over the Christmas period, it will also enhance the environment throughout the year.
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