The first of 94,000 trees to be planted in Aberdeen as part of the Tree for Every Resident project have been put into the ground.

Aberdeen City Council convener for Housing and Environment, Councillor Aileen Malone, was joined by Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs & The Environment, Richard Lochhead, to help plant some of the trees that will help provide city residents with a cleaner, greener future.

The project, which will create eight new mixed species woodlands covering an area 20 times the size of Pittodrie Park and spread right across the city, is a partnership between Forestry Commission Scotland, Aberdeen Greenspace and Aberdeen City Council.

Councillor Malone said: "This is a wonderful initiative which will make a huge difference to Aberdeen, not only aesthetically but also in terms of the environmental benefits that another 94,000 trees will bring to the city.

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"As well as helping to soak up carbon dioxide and improving air quality, these trees will attract more wildlife into Aberdeen and help the existing bird, insect and animal populations to flourish."

Mr Lochhead added: "This is a really exciting project that shows how Scottish Government funding can help to revitalise our cityscapes and create greener, healthier environments for everyone.

"Many of the woodlands being created will be in the middle of communities - in one case right underneath a tower block – so they will provide a focal point for community involvement, leisure and recreation.

"They will also soften the urban environment and – by soaking up around 15,000 tonnes of CO2 over 50 years - help provide a greener, cleaner future for the people of Aberdeen."

Aberdeen Greenspace chief officer Alister Clunas added: "We are delighted to support this project as it will create additional 'green lungs' for the city as well as providing new habitats for wildlife. Aberdeen already has some wonderful parks and greenspaces and this project will make a significant contribution to increasing the quality of greenspaces in the city."

Aberdeen City Council has contributed £25,000 to the project. Aberdeen Greenspace has provided £62,000, the Community Woodland fund gave it £67,000 and the project also received a £180,000 grant from the Scotland Rural Development Programme.

Aberdeen City Council is organising a series of planting days at sites across the city to give local communities and schools the chance to plant a tree.

(GK)