Buckingham is a #lovetreezone
Buckingham Town Council have declared 2022 the ‘Year of the tree’ and affirmed the importance of trees and hedgerows in our lives and our town’s landscapes into the future. As part of the Council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan Councillors have 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. The Town Council’s Greenspaces Team have been regularly watering the new trees to ensure they form healthy strong root systems and have the best chance of success during their first year and the Council encourages everyone with young trees to water them through the summer.
During January 2022, volunteers helped the Town Council and partners plant 250 saplings along the footpath in Heartland’s Park with clusters of Black Poplars (Populus nigra betulifolia), Alder (Alnus glutinosa) and many other native species. 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.
In February 2022, the Town Council worked in partnership with the Buckinghamshire Community Board and Lace Hill Resident’s Association to plant a selection of 20 fruit trees at Lace Hill Academy and the nearby Community Centre.
An important aspect of healthy woodland and hedgerow development is their potential to provide is connectivity, keeping otherwise isolated sections of trees and other habitats linked into a wider ecosystem. Healthy, sections of trees, hedgerow and wildflower meadows can be a vital wildlife corridor for hedgehogs, birds and bees.
Buckingham Town Council’s Planning Committee pay great attention to tree applications, in particular those specifying the removal of protected trees. Applications are challenged to ensure the Planning Authority is fully aware of the Council’s opposition to unnecessarily felling trees in Buckingham.
As the tree planting season has come to an end for the 21/22 year, we look forward to the winter where the Town Council has plans to plant 450 hedgerow trees at the Brackley Road Cemetery’s new garden of rest. Many thanks go out to our dedicated band of volunteers who have contributed to our previous efforts.
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.
Mayor of Buckingham, Cllr Margaret Gateley, said: “It has been great to be part of the Queen’s Green Canopy tree-planting team during the last few months. This is a wonderful initiative, ensuring a lasting legacy from the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. It is vital for our planet that we not only plant new trees, but also protect our existing mature trees, as they store carbon. The Year of the Tree designation emphasises Buckingham Town Council’s commitment to stem the loss of our trees linked to the burgeoning housing developments as well as applications to fell healthy trees.”