Buckinghamshire Council supports National Tree Week
National Tree Week (28 November – 6 December), organised by The Tree Council is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration and trees are definitely high up on Buckinghamshire Council’s agenda. Trees feature in our planned work, both in respect of commitment to enhancing biodiversity and also using nature-based solutions to tackle climate change.
We recognise the importance placed on trees by our residents, and are embracing tree planting and setting ambitious targets to capture carbon from our tree planting aspirations. Tree planting is a long-term undertaking that needs to be well planned and strategic and we are currently planning where this will take place on our landholdings to ensure that we plant the right trees in the right places. New tree plantings must be ecologically resilient to provide the long-term benefits that we plan for them to deliver. We are also working with a couple of community groups to trial how we can best support community tree planting aspirations across the county.
During the autumn, we ran pilot sessions with five schools where over 200 children collected local tree and shrub seeds and planted them to help create the next generation of trees and woods. These hugely successful sessions were run in partnership with Chiltern Rangers and local tree seeds were collected for onward growing and planting at each school or for future planting by Chiltern Rangers in the local area. We plan to expand this exercise next year so that we can generate an important local supply of tree stock.
Buckinghamshire Council has also just completed an important piece of mapping work to assess where best to plant new woodland across the county. This mapping is based on connectivity to existing habitats and woodland and will help us understand the role these new woodlands could play in helping to address local flooding, capturing carbon and increasing biodiversity.
Bill Chapple OBE, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change said:
“Trees play a hugely important part in addressing the key challenges of reversing the declines in biodiversity and are a nature-based solution that helps our role in tackling climate change. I am firmly committed to using our landholdings for additional trees and woodlands.
“I also am delighted with the school sessions that took place in the autumn. We plan to extend these sessions next year so that more children can get involved in the collecting, growing and planting of our future trees and woodlands in the county.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to remind residents of the council’s stance when it comes to HS2.
“Buckinghamshire Council is, and has been, absolutely opposed to HS2 from the very beginning and fought the proposals through every stage, with one of the main reasons being the devastating impact it would have on our environment including our woodlands and trees.
“The Council does not believe that the scheme should have been given Notice to Proceed. Unfortunately, HS2 Ltd have been given very wide powers to be able to build the railway. The priority we are giving to the environment, shows our commitment to enhancing Buckinghamshire’s environment despite the impacts of HS2. Increasing the environmental mitigation from the HS2 scheme, remains a top priority for the council.
“We have regular meetings with HS2 and will also raise with them instances where we consider that the works that they are undertaking go above and beyond what they have the powers to do. All work sites, which require consent from the Council, are to be monitored, and any instances of works outside of HS2’s powers will be raised with them.
“For more information about our stance on HS2 as well as FAQs, visit https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/environment/high-speed-2-hs2/ “
For more information about National Tree Week, visit: treecouncil.org.uk
To find out more about the Chiltern Rangers, including how to get involved, visit: chilternrangers.co.uk