NI Water environment plans to plant 1m trees

NI Water environment plans to plant 1m trees

7 June 2023

NORTHERN Ireland Water is one quarter of the way towards its target of planting one million trees across 1,235 acres of its land by 2030, including adjacent to the Fofanny water treatment plant in the Mournes.

The utility company has hailed this significant milestone by planting approximately 70,010 trees plus 17,000 of natural regeneration across 182 acres at its site in Annalong situated at the foot of the mountains.

All trees are native species and most are deciduous broadleaves.

The planting scheme is part of NI Water’s wider plans to help tackle climate change and create a more sustainable future for Northern Ireland. 

The utility company will work in partnership with the Woodland Trust to help deliver the planting project as well as overseeing the planning and managing contractors. The Forest Service is supporting the project. 

NI Water’s Director of Business Services, Alistair Jinks, said that as the second biggest landowner in Northern Ireland, the organisation want to deliver a large-scale planting programme of one million trees.

“Working in partnership with the Woodland Trust Northern Ireland and the Forest Service, we are well on our way to re-greening our land with a diverse range of native trees to encourage our flowers and fauna to flourish,” he explained.

“This initiative is about much more than just planting trees and offsetting carbon from our electricity consumption.

“It is about helping to improve water quality, prevent flooding, addressing air quality, providing safe habitats for wildlife and enhancing our local landscape one tree at a time.”

Mr Jinks said NI Water has ambitious plans to transition to a net zero business, with its drive to plant the right trees in the right places helping to make a visible difference in its fight against climate change.

He added: “With 224,460 trees planted so far, we are almost a quarter of the way there and we believe we have an important role to play in helping to build the green economy and restore biodiversity.”

Ian McCurley, Director of the Woodland Trust Northern Ireland, explained that one of its main objectives is to create new native woodlands which is urgent in the 

province considering it is the least wooded area in Europe, with just under nine per cent tree cover.” 

He added: “Thanks to our partnership with NI Water, we now have access to large areas of land within their care, and this is a huge opportunity for us to increase tree cover here.”

Since 2020, NI Water has planted a total of 224,460 trees and aims to be net zero energy by 2030 and net zero for all emissions by 2040.