Some 1,800 native trees are set to be planted in Glasgow's Southside with young people and communities invited to "connect with nature" in an ongoing Wee Forests initiative.

Native trees will be planted by "Wee Foresters" in three areas the size of tennis courts. Capable of attracting over 500 animal and plant species within the first three years, the forests will be looked after by volunteer Tree Keeper Teams and nearby schools will use them for outdoor learning.

The Glasgow Southside Wee Forests are part of a £500K Scottish Government funded project, led by NatureScot and co-ordinated by Earthwatch, which sees schools and local communities planting 20 Wee Forests across the country this winter and spring.

The Wee Forests being planted in Glasgow Southside this March are being delivered by the Green Action Trust, in partnership with Glasgow City Council. Local communities and schools including St Conval's Primary School and Battlefield Primary School will help plant the forests and take part in citizen science activities to raise awareness of climate change and the value of urban trees. This will include monitoring the butterflies that use the forests, calculating the amount of carbon captured and measuring the impact that trees have on slowing down the run-off from rainstorms.

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Karen Morrison, NatureScot Wee Forests Project Officer, said: "It's wonderful to see Glasgow's network of Wee Forests expanding across the city. These three new forests will bring many benefits to the people of Glasgow Southside. They're great places to enjoy spending time in nature, with all the mental and physical benefits that brings, as well as to learn about plants and wildlife. They also help tackle nature loss and climate change, contributing to Scotland's tree planting targets. We hope that over the years, these Wee Forests will become places communities will treasure."

Ujwala Fernandes, Project Manager for the Connecting Pollokshaws project, said: "It's great that a Wee Forest is coming to Shawhill Park in Pollokshaws. It will help to raise awareness of climate change and provide the local community with a great opportunity to reconnect with nature and get involved in the planting, care and monitoring of their Wee Forest. It will also provide multiple benefits for the local school children and encourage them to learn about the importance of trees and forests in fighting climate change, as well as connect them with their local green spaces."

Douglas Worrall, Director of Service Delivery, Green Action Trust said: "Green Action Trust is delighted to be creating these Wee Forests. Working in partnership with Glasgow City Council and NatureScot we hope these woods will become important and valued greenspace resources for their local communities."