Wardens Double Efforts to Save Local Trees

The Tree Council's latest survey of Tree Wardens (covering activities in 2006) shows that they are continuing to donate 1.8 million hours a year - woth £13 million in volunteer time* - to their communities' trees. However, they are devoting more of this time than previously to looking out for early warning signs of threats to trees.

Since the previous survey in 2004, these local tree champions have doubled the proportion of time they spend on checking that Tree Preservation Orders are not being violated. Monitoring planning applications to assess their impact on the community's trees has also increased, and together with monitoring felling licences this amounts to 10 per cent of the total time they devote to their local treescape.

'This reflects both increased concern about loss of trees from their neighbourhoods, particularly from streets, and an increase in the number of Tree Wardens being recruited in urban areas', said Margaret Lipscombe, director of urban programmes at The Tree Council, which launched the national Tree Warden Scheme in response to the Great Storm of October 1987.

The Tree Council now co-ordinates the scheme nationally, supported by National Grid and the government department, Communities and Local Government and works with local authorities, voluntary organisations and local partnerships to develop and maintain local Tree Warden networks in villatges, suburbs, towns and cities.

'We know from talking to Tree Wardens that there is a growing dismay about what is being referred to as 'the chainsaw massacre' - the disappearance of so many magnnificent mature and ancient trees from our town and cities because of the tendency to fell ......To read more Click Here