PLANS for a new woodland area are in place as council scheme sees more than 40,000 trees planted.

40,242 trees have been planted in Wokingham Borough since November 2021 as part of the council's ongoing efforts to protect and improve the environment.

Wokingham Borough Council is now working on the next phase which involves planting on "large scale" sites bigger than five hectares.

These include proposals for a new woodland on part of Rooks Nest Farm in Finchampstead to honour those who were lost during the coronavirus pandemic.

This is part of the council's Garden Forest Scheme, supported by a £300,000 contribution towards planting in the borough from the Woodland Trust’s Emergency Tree Fund.

Executive member for environment, sport and leisure, Cllr Ian Shenton said: "I want to thank everyone who helped us reach this milestone, from those within the council to the wider community.

"Trees provide a solid foundation for a huge range of benefits, from cleaning the air and fighting the climate emergency to making their surroundings more pleasant and giving wildlife a home.

"Increasing tree cover is key to our borough's long-term vitality and improving the environment, and they have a positive effect on the landscape as soon as they are planted. There’s plenty more to achieve but we'll get there, and we can't wait to start the next stage".

Along with new orchards and hedgerows, as well as land management schemes, the tree planting scheme has helped to address the climate emergency by offsetting an estimated 6,036 tonnes of carbon emissions.