Residents are creating an urban forest in Ardoyne
A NUMBER of urban forestry tasks are underway throughout Belfast this spring, as Belfast City Council and native communities work collectively to plant extra bushes, develop neighborhood orchards and spotlight the character on our doorstep.
In November 2025, councilors agreed to a movement to work with residents, faculties and organizations to create and keep extra neighborhood orchards and develop an ‘edible panorama’, as a part of the council’s wider Tree Strategy to spice up tree cover throughout the town.
Since then, Woodland Officers have been supporting teams to determine websites which might be remodeled into orchards and lending their experience to assist get tasks up and operating.
In Ardoyne, a ward with simply 4.6 per cent tree cowl at current, in comparison with 43.9 per cent in Bellevue, the town’s highest cover ward, they’ve joined forces with the Flax older individuals’s group to plant fruit bushes in the grounds of Ardoyne Community Centre, benefiting residents of all ages.
Plans are now in place to roll out coaching in orchard administration and placed on wholesome meals workshops as soon as the bushes start to bear fruit.
At Holy Cross Nursery School, pupils have been supported to plant fruit bushes and 150 native bushes to create a hedge, offering a brand new wildlife habitat in addition to screening from an adjoining automotive park.
A beforehand underused area at Shaw’s Bridge can also be now residence to 14 apple, pear and plum bushes, due to the efforts of Malone Tornadoes, Ulster’s first mixed-ability rugby group. Working with the council’s Parks Outreach and Park Warden groups, the membership have additionally helped rejuvenate the broader automotive park space with new fencing and clean-up works, demonstrating how inclusive sport and environmental stewardship can work hand-in-hand.
The council can also be operating free occasions for residents to discover their native parks and open areas. A sequence of guided walks will happen throughout south Belfast parks visiting Lagan Lands East, Lower Crescent Parks, Lagan Meadows, and different nature-rich websites. For particulars on this and future occasions go to our occasions pages belfastcity.gov.uk/occasions
Communities in exploring the feasibility of a tree planting mission or orchard for his or her space can get in contact with the council’s Woodland and Recreation Unit at WRU@belfastcity.gov.uk