We need to green up our urban spaces

Cities and even small market towns, in Ireland, are steadily becoming denuded of trees, which brutalises the urban landscape, negatively impacts on wildlife and removes the health- improving and visual benefits that trees are now known to bestow.

Councils should undertake to plant 20% more trees than their present allocation within the next five years if we are to green up our towns and cities.

This should be linked to tougher laws to prevent the felling of trees in private gardens unless a corresponding undertaking is in place (and enforced) to plant with a more suitable species.