National Trust set to plant 500 blossom trees in Birmingham

It was once known as ‘town ringed by blossom’.

But Birmingham has lost a staggering 157 of its 186 orchards - the equivalent of 9 Bullring centres.

Now the National Trust as revealed its plans to bring back blossom trees to Birmingham by planting 500 across the city.

The announcement comes as the conservation charity unveils two pop up gardens in the city centre - at St Phillips Cathedral Square and Edgbaston Street next to the indoor markets,.

They will be in situ for the next six weeks and will then move to the Commonwealth Games’ Smithfield live site at the end of July to create a ‘green space’ in the fan zone.

Why did Birmingham lose so many trees?

The National Trust said: “As one might expect, loss appears to have been driven by urban and suburban growth (covering 92 per cent of losses).”

However Birmingham appears to fare better than some cities, with research from the conservation charity showing that London lost 98% of its 2147 hectares of orchards from 1900.

The Trust is calling on residents and community groups across Birmingham to join the legacy planting programme and ‘adopt’ a tree. Anyone who’d like to find out more and get involved can email [email protected].

Why has Birmingham been chosen?

The National Trust explained: “The Future Parks initiative is a pioneering programme designed to find new ways to manage and fund parks and open spaces across entire towns and cities.

“Launched in 2019 by the National Trust and The National Lottery Heritage Fund with support from the government, the Future Parks initiative has invested more than £7.5m of National Lottery and government funding, and £5m worth of advice and support from some of the country’s leading experts in conservation, fundraising, volunteering and green space management from the National Trust.

“Birmingham is one of eight places taking part in the initiative, chosen in a UK-wide national competition, and selected for their ambitious and creative plans to put green spaces right at the heart of local communities.

“In addition to Birmingham the places taking part are Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Cambridgeshire (county-wide, covering seven council areas); Newcastle; Edinburgh; Islington and Camden; Nottingham; and Plymouth.”

What have the National Trust said about the Birmingham tree planting plans?

Lucy Reid, Assistant Director for the National Trust, who leads the conservation charity’s work in Birmingham, said: “This year is very special for our city and we are delighted to have the opportunity to be part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival by creating a celebration of blossom right in the heart of the city.

“We’ll also be creating a lasting legacy by recreating a symbolic ‘ring of blossom’ inspired by Birmingham’s botanical history and planted in local neighbourhoods around the city.

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