Find out why so many trees have been planted across Mold this winter

All across the town, new foliage has been springing up, from wild flowers to mighty oaks, as part of a project called Wild About Mold, which is being delivered in partnership between North Wales Wildlife Trust, Flintshire County Council, Mold Town Council and Cittaslow Mold.

The project comes on the back of the council publishing its first Urban Tree and Woodland Plan last year, which outlines how the authority will manage trees in Flintshire and sets out a strategic vision for the planting of trees across the county, particularly focussing on urban areas.

The plan sets a target of achieving an urban canopy cover of 18 per cent by 2033 from the current 14.5 per cent (2013), the seventh lowest in Wales. Mold's canopy cover was found to be 15.3 per cent - which is below the average for Wales at 16.3 per cent.

The report also sets out clearly the critical role that trees play in mitigating climate change, habitat creation and increasing biodiversity - as well as the widely researched benefits to people in terms of the mental and physical health of good quality green spaces with trees.

After Mold Town Council called on members of the public to come forward with their ideas of where the new trees and wild flowers could be planted in the town, several sites were identified and this week saw planting taking place at Cemetery Field on Gas Lane, with a number of volunteers getting to grips with five oak trees, four crab apple trees and a cherry tree, which will stand in the centre of the field.

"We've managed to come together and plant a number of sites across Mold this winter and this is the last of the planting season," says Sarah Slater, biodiversity officer for Flintshire County Council. "We've had up to 30 volunteers for each session and it's been really successful.

"Trees bring such a wide range of benefits to the local community - just improving the aesthetics of an area can change not just how an area looks but how it is used too."

Mold town councillor Andrea Mearns has been the leading figure behind the drive to plant more trees and after consulting people from across the town she helped produce a map of potential new tree locations.

"We've planted trees now in Gas Lane, Kendrick's Field and Park Avenue, and now we're planting oaks in Cemetery Field," explains Cllr Mearns. "It's important to put large trees in rather than small trees because they create a great canopy cover and help remove Co2 from the atmosphere. Once they get going they will be very significant trees!"

Residents identified almost 200 sites across Mold where they would like to see trees or flowers planted and Cllr Mearns hopes the project will continue to grow.

"We have a database now of all the sites and we're prioritising public spaces at the moment," she continues. "These open green spaces are so important for the public's wellbeing and we want to encourage people to get out and enjoy the outdoors."

Stuart Body, FCC's forestry officer, is also on hand to assist with the tree planting and explains how each of the oaks is a Quercus robur Fastigiata, which is a compact, narrow crowned variety of our native oak, perfect for restricted spaces and which reflects the Victorian planting and nature of the nearby cemetery with its distinctive poplars and Corsican pines.

"The four crab apples will replace trees that have been vandalised in the community orchard at the cemetery," he adds. "Blackbirds and thrushes love to feed on their autumn berries and the blossom in the spring is excellent for pollinators."

For North Wales Wildlife Trust, the Wild About Mold project has seen them fulfill an aim to focus more on linking communities with wildlife.

"We've had lots of volunteering opportunities and training workshops and have been tree planting throughout Mold over the winter months," says Amy Green, who is project officer for Wild About Mold. "We've also planted wild flower strips at Kendrick's Field which are just starting to flower and I'd really encourage people to go and have a look because they look stunning. We're just trying to improve the green spaces in the area and remind people that we live in nature - you don't have to go and visit it."

Amy and the Trust have also been working on the area encompassing the Afon Chwiler (River Wheeler) and upper Afon Alun (River Alyn) which has been recognised for many years as a biodiversity hotspot. The area supports important habitats such as ancient woodland, unimproved grassland, heathland and wetland habitats, as well as many important species including dormouse, great crested newt, water vole, otter, pied flycatcher, barn owl, and many uncommon plant species.

Working with partners, the Trust has been busy restoring, recreating and reconnecting wildlife habitats and engaging with local people and communities with activities including creation and restoration of hedgerows, riverbank restoration, pond creation, fencing of ditches for water voles, tree and woodland planting, meadow restoration, wildflower planting, bat and bird box making and placing, and wildlife themed events and activities.

"It's all about helping wildlife to move between green spaces," she explains. "We're building more and more, we're expanding our towns and our wildlife is at risk, so we're trying to connect different areas together.

"There's a great old saying that you don't plant a tree to appreciate the shade yourself and that's really come through with a lot of the volunteers who have come forward and said how proud they're going to be to show their children the tree that mummy and daddy planted."