Agenda item

Question from Councillor Robin Stuchbury to Councillor Gareth Williams, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment

Buckinghamshire Council has facilitated the planting of a huge number of trees to enrich our communities and to lower our carbon footprint, both through the Council’s policy and development planting or by replacing and adding additional trees. Sadly it has become evident that many of these trees perish within a short period of time after being planted. Is there a policy for the management of new trees planted within Buckinghamshire both within development and environmental projects, including watering and maintenance, and if this policy is in place do you believe it is robust enough? Is the success of this Policy being measured in terms of tree growth including the impact on the environment and lowering our carbon footprint?

Question from Councillor Robin Stuchbury to Councillor Gareth Williams, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment 

“Buckinghamshire Council has facilitated the planting of a huge number of trees to enrich our communities and to lower our carbon footprint, both through the Council’s policy and development planting or by replacing and adding additional trees. Sadly, it has become evident that many of these trees perish within a short period of time after being planted. Is there a policy for the management of new trees planted within Buckinghamshire both within development and environmental projects, including watering and maintenance, and if this policy is in place do you believe it is robust enough? Is the success of this Policy being measured in terms of tree growth including the impact on the environment and lowering our carbon footprint?”  

RESPONSE from Councillor Williams 

“Thank you for this question regarding tree planting. Regarding trees planted under the Council’s Land Tree Planting Programme (CLTPP), as discussed at the June Transport, Environment and Climate Change Scrutiny Committee, our contractors undertake regular (typically bi-monthly) inspections of all sites planted under the contractor model. This includes maintenance such as weeding. 145,000 trees were planted last year. The net cost per tree was less than £1.00 with grant funding. For watering it would cost £30. Therefore nature needed to take its course. Each year a survey is conducted and re-stocking is completed during the planting season to replace any trees that have perished. Mortality rates for the 2021/22 season were higher than expected due to the drought conditions experienced across England. Survey results for the 2022/23 planting season are currently being collected and will be reported upon in due course.  

There is no particular policy that governs the maintenance (including watering) of trees planted under the CLTPP – the approach to woodland creation and maintenance has been informed by the advice from arboricultural consultants, guidance received during training sessions, and research. Newly planted trees that survive the challenges presented by extreme weather events (now often caused or exacerbated by climate change) are more likely to be resilient to those that come in the future.   

Within housing developments, any requirements for tree planting, canopy cover and green space will be assessed against any relevant local and national planning policies and in those instances where tree planting is secured this would be controlled thorough the imposition of planning conditions and/or S106 obligations on a site by site basis. Maintenance on small scale developments will often be the responsibility of the landowners themselves, however, on the large scale and strategic sites this will usually be a matter for whoever is responsible for the maintenance of the green spaces within a development; this may be the Parish Council, a Management Company, or Buckinghamshire Council or indeed a combination thereof. 

Regarding the ongoing benefit to the environment, forecasts for carbon sequestration were included within the June update on Tree Planting to the TECC Scrutiny Committee Agenda for Transport, Environment & Climate Change Select Committee on Thursday, 22nd June, 2023, 10.00 am - Modern Council (moderngov.co.uk), please see agenda item 5.”