100,000 trees and counting: Cardiff’s community is on a mission to fight climate change with trees. Will it work?
The sound of spades slicing into the hardened earth fills the small grassy clearing beside Cardiff’s Haydn Ellis Building. A group of volunteers, students mostly, watch as a high-vis-clad organiser places a sapling in the upturned earth, pressing its roots firmly into the soil. They take up their spade, patting the ground firmly around the base of the young tree, ensuring its steadiness. They step back, surveying their work with a nod of approval. The sapling stands upright, a fragile but determined addition to the previously lifeless landscape.
Kansarin Weewong brushes the dirt from her gloves, stepping back from her own freshly planted tree. “It’s an honour, really. It’ll be an honour to come back here twenty years later and see the tree we planted,” she says. Originally from Thailand, Kansarin moved to Wales to pursue her studies. Back home, she has always had a deep connection to trees. “I love nature. I used to plant trees when I was a child back in Thailand, but now I’m studying abroad [in Cardiff], so I want to get involved in the nature and natural activities here.”
For many of the volunteers, this is their first time planting a tree. Elliot Devine, another attendee, shared their enthusiasm, saying, “We’ve never planted trees before, and it just seemed a lot of fun, so we decided to come down and try it.” Their words echo an air of excitement in the group as people come together, make friends, and plant trees, united by a shared purpose to breathe new life into the land and add biodiversity to Cardiff’s urban landscape.
This event is one of many, a small part of a larger scheme aimed at increasing tree coverage in Cardiff. The project, known as Coed Caerdydd—meaning “Cardiff’s Wood”—began with the city at 18.9% tree coverage in 2021. By the project’s end in 2030, organisers aim to have 25% of the city’s land area covered by tree canopy. By working with Cardiff’s community, the programme has planted an area larger than 25 Principality Stadium pitches, populated by native Welsh trees, including alder, rowan, oak, and hawthorn.
Mafalda Costa, Cardiff University’s biodiversity officer, discussed the benefits of the programme. She said, “We’ve already changed the way the university mows grass, letting it grow longer to encourage more wildflowers. This is the third tree-planting event we’ve organised at the university, It’s a great thing to do, we’ve had loads of positive comments from the community. You’re planting a tree, which is great, but it’s also good for mental health and well-being. It gets you out and away from the office.”
The initiative extends beyond just planting—each tree must be checked regularly and nurtured for growth. A network of “tree guardians” has been established—volunteers who check on trees, water them, and inspect for damage. Protecting existing trees is just as vital as planting new ones. Ancient woodlands make up 25% of the UK’s forests but sequester up to 36% of woodland carbon, making them a key asset in the fight against climate change.
In early February 2025, the programme celebrated a milestone of planting 100,000 trees. Jennifer Burke, Cardiff Council’s cabinet member for culture, parks, and events, commemorated this achievement, saying, “Planting 100,000 new trees in just four years is a remarkable achievement.”
“As they grow and start to do all the incredible things that trees do—clean the air, help mitigate flooding, keep people cool in the summer, [and] provide habitats for wildlife—they will also make a significant contribution towards our vision for a carbon-neutral Cardiff.”