PUPILS from Llandybie helped to plant trees to help with the environment and increase biodiversity.

More than 8,000 native broadleaved trees were planted on council owned land at Tregib in Llandeilo, Maesdewi in Llandybie and Pendre in Kidwelly, with Carmarthenshire County Council organising community planting days including a day for Llandybie Primary School pupils.

The total area of woodland to be created by the scheme is 4.5 hectares. The trees will extract carbon emissions from the atmosphere as well as providing new habitats for wildlife.

This is not the only biodiversity and conservation plan in place by the council, who detailed some of the plans to mark Earth Day.

Carmarthen Learning Centre has been made more energy efficient and reduce its carbon emissions by 76 per cent. This includes cavity wall insulation, double glazing and roof improvements. There are solar panels and an air source heat pump provide energy and heat to the building.

The council’s conservation team has created plans for a tree nursery and wildlife friendly grounds to be developed at Johnstown Day Centre with the help of the Botanic Gardens. It will include an accessible outdoor growing area and sensory garden, a woodland garden, a bog garden, meadow areas and an orchard.

There has been financial support from the Places for Nature scheme and there will be involvement from all day services through the collecting and planting of native seed and plans for a similar project at Manor Road Day Centre.

The council is also looking at ways of managing grassland to make it richer in wildflowers and more attractive to pollinators. Last summer, the council experimented with cutting the grass less often to allow the wildflowers to grow and attract insects. It was well-received by residents.

Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen, cabinet member for climate change, decarbonisation and sustainability,  said: “It is very apt that this year’s theme for Earth Day is ‘Invest in our planet’ as this is exactly what we are doing here in Carmarthenshire to decarbonise our climate and protect our natural environment.

“Across all of the Council’s services, we are implementing changes, both big and small, that will reduce the county’s carbon emissions to play our part in the global effort to tackle change and make Carmarthenshire a better, healthier place for our children and our children’s children to live.”

Earth Day has been marked annually since 1970 to raise awareness for the need to protect the natural environment, tackle climate change and to protect natural resources.