Wicklow County Council’s annual tree grant is open for applications until Friday 27th September. The grant provides funding to local groups to plant trees on public spaces in their community. The grant aims to increase tree cover in our towns and communities. The late Autumn/Winter months are the ideal time to plant trees, allowing trees to establish good roots well before they come back into leaf in Spring.
Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council Paul O Brien commented that “the annual tree grant supports the work of Tidy Towns, Residents Associations and other groups to improve our open spaces with good planting which enhances amenity while enriching the biodiversity of our local areas”.
Emer O’Gorman, Chief Executive Officer of Wicklow County Council also added that “Wicklow County Council is committed to taking climate action and the restoration of biodiversity. Increasing tree cover with the use of native tree species has an important role to play in achieving our goals.”
The annual tree grant provides funding of 75% of the cost of trees to be planted with a maximum allocation of €500 per applicant. All native trees can be planted plus several tree species listed under the All Ireland Pollinator Plan as good for supporting biodiversity. Fruit trees are also funded. The planting of native hedging in public spaces will also be considered.
Completed applications with costings and a map of proposed planting locations must be submitted by the 27th of September. The grant application form can be obtained from the environmental awareness office through eao@wicklowcoco.ie. The application form can also be downloaded from our ‘News & Events’ Section on www.wicklow.ie.