COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT News Release (036) issued by The Government News Network
on 18 February 2008
Ministers will
today urge all councils to match the standards of the best to
protect their local tree populations.
The largest ever survey of urban trees in England, published
today, will reveal that although national tree health has improved
markedly since the last survey in 1992, with trees being
maintained much more regularly by councils, there has been a
decline in the number of older trees in towns and cities and
overall planting rates of new trees has fallen.
Trees play a key role in reducing the impacts of climate change
in urban areas and are important to residents of towns and cities.
The report found that most trees make a considerable or
outstanding contribution to the quality of neighbourhoods.
The survey, of nearly 150 towns across England, will show just 11
per cent of trees in towns are between 50 and 100 years old and
just two per cent are over 100 years old.
England's 'top tree' is the Leyland cypress, which
is mainly used for hedges - accounting for more than 1 in 10 of
all trees. These are followed by hawthorn and sycamore, more
commonly seen as individual trees.
The best councils have tree strategies in place and they have
seen remarkable results. For example:
* Brighton Council successfully fought off Dutch Elm
Disease
* Stoke-on-Trent Council successfully attracted
external sponsorship worth over £100,000 for its tree
programme
* Tower Hamlets council is planting 1000 trees in a
deprived inner city area and involving the local community in
planting and environmental education
The report, written by ADAS and Myerscough College, suggests 10
ways in which all councils can match the standards of the best:
* Every local authority should have a specialist tree officer and
puts in place a comprehensive tree strategy
* Make greater use
of sponsorship programmes in partnership with businesses, schools
and local communities, with the target of raising £15,000 per town
to protect local trees
* All work on protected trees is
regularly monitored and enforcement action is taken where
necessary
* At least 90 per cent of all newly planted local
authority trees receive regular maintenance
* Installing a
computerised tree management system or 'log' to help the
local authority to manage their tree resource and promote
electronic communication
Key findings of the report include:
* Comparison with the 1992 survey shows less planting was carried
out between 1992-2004 than in the previous 10 years.
* Overall more trees were being regularly maintained. In 2004 36
per cent were noted as receiving regular maintenance compared with
3 per cent in 1992.
* But poor maintenance of recently planted trees, means as many
as one in four (24 per cent) newly planted trees being lost.
* Fewer trees were classed as being dead or dying, or in poor or
good condition than in 1992.
The Trees in Towns II report will also reveal disparities between councils.
* Two thirds of councils have, or are developing, a tree strategy
- but a third have not even begun to do so
* One in five local
authorities are carrying out no scheduled tree maintenance work
at all
The survey is the most detailed picture ever of the quantity and
quality of England's urban trees. It includes 590 plots,
including streets, public parks, schools, churchyards, allotments
and private gardens across 147 towns and cities.
Although some councils are already managing their tree stock
well, findings show that many local authorities lack basic
information about the nature and extent of the trees and woodlands
in their district.
Communities Minister Iain Wright said:
"Towns need trees. This report shows many councils are doing
great work - but I'd like to see all councils aspiring to the
standards of the best.
"Trees are a key feature of the British landscape across our
town and cities and I am concerned about such a wide disparity in
how they are looked after.
"The recommendations set out in the report we are publishing
today give Local Authorities an approach which will help them
ensure we safeguard our trees and ensure the character of local
communities is preserved for future generations."
-ends-
Notes to Editors:
1. Trees in Towns II, published today, is a report reviewing the
quantity and quality of urban trees in England and the local
authority resources and policies used to manage them. The
research comprises two strands:
* A survey of the quantity and quality of the national urban tree
stock.
* A comprehensive review of local authority resources
and processes involved in creating and managing urban trees.
2. The top ten most frequently recorded tree species, in order, are:
1. Leyland Cypress (14.4%)
2. Hawthorn (7.5%)
3. Sycamore
(6.5%)
4. Silver Birch (5.4%)
5. Common Ash (4.9%)
6.
Lawson cypress (4.3%)
7. English Oak (3.3%)
8. Japanese
Cherry (2.8%)
9. Beech (2.8%)
10. Holly (2.7%)
4. Today's report follows a 1993 survey of trees in 66
cities, towns and villages, which culminated in the publication of
the original Trees in Towns report.
5. The executive summary of the Trees in Towns II report is
available on the Communities and Local Government web-site:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/treesandhedges
The full report, which includes 12 case studies and an interactive
mapping tool, is available as a priced publication, ISBN no. 978
185 112 8891.
News Releases: http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsroom