National Tree Week is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration, marking the start of the winter tree planting season (November to March each year). This year, it’s taking place 28 November – 6 December. Though we may not be able to get together to plant trees as we usually would due to lockdown measures, our volunteer Tree Wardens held an online meeting to plan future tree planting events and coordinate activities that promote and protect our treescape for future generations.
As part of the Town Council Climate Emergency Action Plan Buckingham Town Council has pledged to organise a minimum of one tree planting event per year to help offset the town’s carbon emissions and improve the biodiversity of our greenspaces. During March 2020 volunteers helped plant 12 saplings along the riverbank of Bourton Park with small clusters of Black Poplars (Populus nigra betulifolia) and Alder (Alnus glutinosa). The Black Poplar is Britain’s rarest native timber tree and there are some beautiful examples of mature Black Poplar trees to be seen in Heartlands park. Whilst we won’t be together at tree planting event this Winter, our Tree Wardens have some activities planned ways to help enhance and protect the tree canopy of our town.
Buckingham Town Council’s Planning Committee pay great attention to tree applications, in particular those specifying the removal of trees. Applications are robustly challenged to ensure the Planning Authority is fully aware of the Council’s opposition to felling trees unnecessarily.
To find out more about our native trees, visit the Woodland Trust for everything you need to know from identification, folklore and history to pests and diseases that threaten the trees of our town.
Ruth Newell Chair of the Town Council’s Environment Committee and a tree warden for over 20 years in Buckingham said ‘I am pleased that we have many more people interested in joining us a tree warden, and we have the expertise amongst our wardens to protect our trees in Buckingham, as well as finding new suitable places for planting; as we need to ensure we plant many more trees than those we lose’.
To find out more about the Buckingham Tree Wardens, including how to get involved, visit: https://www.buckingham-tc.gov.uk/our-services/parks-and-green-spaces/
Notes
- For enquiries please contact Paul Hodson, Town Clerk at Buckingham Town Council on 01280 816426, office@buckingham-tc.gov.uk.