A city blighted by the axing of more than 100 trees in its central shopping area two years ago is now a ‘tree city of the world’.

The accolade comes after 35,000 trees were planted in Plymouth last winter, the majority at a new forest on Ministry of Defence land near Ernesettle, which will  eventually be visible from the Tamar Bridge crossing between Cornwall and Devon.

Tree Cities of the World is a worldwide programme managed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Arbor Day Foundation in the US, whereby municipalities of any size can apply to earn the designation "Tree City of the World".

In Plymouth nearly 6,000 trees have also been planted in public spaces like parks, verges, residential streets and schools over the last year.

The city council and community forest teams engaged with people of all ages at different tree planting events.

It had been an “unprecedented tree planting year “ councillor with responsibility for the environment and climate change Tom Briars-Delve (Lab, Stoke) told a meeting of the council’s Labour cabinet this week.

It’s a far cry from March 2023 when Plymouth made national headlines when more than 100 mature trees were chopped down in an overnight operation in Armada Way.

Spearheaded by the former Conservative administration as part of a £12 million revamp, the work went ahead despite local opposition and led to a legal battle.  The Tories lost the local elections two months later.

The now Labour-run council is in the middle of a new more expensive regeneration scheme for the city centre street which includes 163 trees.

Cllr Briars-Delve said the joint bid to become a tree city of the world involved the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest, the council and local charity Plymouth Tree People.