Belfast’s green push grows with 300,000 trees, new community orchards

Belfast hit a major milestone in its “1 million tree initiative” aiming to bring out urban green revolution and meet the climate goals.

Under the initiative, Belfast City Council and the local community have planted nearly 300,000 trees along with major expansion of community orchards by launching the new one.

It is no mistake to say that Belfast is quietly building one of Europe’s biggest urban climate projects, aiming to transform local neighbourhoods, air quality and biodiversity by 2035.

The initiative is also meant to target 1 million native trees by 2035 and 30 percent canopy coverage by 2050.

The announcement of a major milestone under the initiative was proclaimed during a committee meeting at City Hall. According to the council officers, planting nearly 300,000 trees was “a good news story”

“Since the establishment of the One Million Tree initiative in 2020 the council and its partners have planted a total of 293,516 new trees and 4,232 linear metres of hedging, what is more the Council remains committed to achieving 30 percent canopy cover by 2050,” according to council’s overall Tree Strategy for the People and Communities Committee at City Hall report.

Community orchard expansion

Following a council motion approved in November 2025, a community orchard project launched its first sites in the spring to improve local tree canopy cover and build an edible landscape.

Talking about the future plans, the Belfast City Council also plans to target neighbourhoods with the lowest canopy first. The council also intends to expand small community orchards at the start of the next annual planting season, running from November to March.

According to Fred Cobain, Chair of the council’s People and Communities Committee, "These projects don’t just improve our environment and boost biodiversity, they also support better physical and mental health, and create spaces where people can come together to enjoy the benefits of nature on their doorstep.”

The City Council also acknowledged the important role of the National Trust in increasing “2025-26 tree planting figures.”

Belfast One Million Trees initiative was launched in December 2020, inspired by the Belfast Metropolitan Residents Group and coordinated by Belfast City Council.

The 15-year project is supported by the Woodland Trust, National Trust, and the Belfast Hills Partnership.