On the 19th September 1990. The Tree Council launched the "Tree Warden Scheme" to conserve and enhance local trees and woods, Tree Wardens are volunteers appointed by the Parish Council, trained and controlled by the County Council at Worcester.
The Tree Council works closely with the County Council to set up the scheme, the first councils to become involved were East Sussex and Leicestershire. The scheme was first sponsored by British Gas with the help of the County Councils, B.T.C.V, Tree Council and other organisations in the private sector.
Trees, woods and Hedges are disappearing from our landscape at an alarming rate. Since the 1940's we have lost more than half our natural woodlands and 125,000 miles of hedgerows.
Britain is one of the least wooded countries in Europe, we have less than 10% tree cover compared with France 27% and Spain 31%, and two thirds of our 10% are conifers.
This loss is due to many causes, intensive agriculture, Dutch elm disease, the 1939/45 war, but mainly urban sprawl and bad planning on new housing estates, factories and motorways.
The severe storms of the 1980's and 1990's cut down some 19 million trees but even this was badly handled by most Councils.
Tree Wardens were appointed by the Parish Councils to look after one or more Council areas, trained by the County Councils with the aid of professional Foresters and Woodsmen. Training consisted of weekly lectures and practical work over a period of six months.
The Work of the Wardens consists of :-
Gathering Information: Surveys, Developing Projects, Providing Advice and Information, Acting as a Contact (for County, District and Parish Councils). Protection of Trees, Grant Aid: Surveys: For the Tree Registers of Great Britain and Council Records. Developing Projects: For private trees and woods, Councils, Schools etc. Providing Information: To anyone who may need it, on species, damage, woodland ecology, management, ancient orchards etc. Protection: By the Law and by giving advice. (see TPO's) Grant Aid: For trees or woodlands. Organising: Including practical projects, such as Tree Planting and Woodland Management.
Legislation ---- Protection: All trees and woodlands are in need of protection, specially these days, when few people make a living growing and using trees, ( at least in this area). Coppicing and Pollarding for a living are few and far between in the country, therefore the protection of trees has become more important Local people and Tree Wardens can often see a problem almost before it happens, too often trees suffer at the hands of builders and some tree surgeons and land owners.
A Tree Warden will depend on local people for information when any work on trees takes place, and I can say this does work. Vandalism and tree disease are also problems.
A TPO is a planning order and as such is placed on trees and woods by the Planning Authority of the local council. It carries the same legality as any other Planning consent and any breech of the order is liable to a large fine.
Felling Licences are required for trees which are not controlled by TPO's and are over a given size.
Felling licences are not required for:- Trees in Gardens, Orchards, Churchyards or Public Places (like squares etc.) or for small trees up to three inches in diameter, unless any of these examples are covered by a TREE PRESERVATION ORDER.
NOTES on the work of a Tree Warden:
Learning the job------ and------Lines of communication.
TREE WARDENS have the backing of the County, District and Parish Councils.
Tree Officers at County and District Councils, The Tree Council of Britain, The Countryside Commission, The Forestry Commission, The BTCV and other Woodland Authorities.
Although the initial training programme is very extensive in both theory and practice, there is an on-going series of refresher courses.
The Tree Wardens appointed by the Parish Council and trained by the County Council, with the aid of professional Foresters and Woodsmen. Training consists of lectures and practical work in all aspects of trees and tree work, spread over a period of six months.
The training covers the following main items:...
Gathering information, Practical projects, Protecting trees, Providing advice and information, acting as a contact between the public and Councils.
Training Events:...
Tree Legislation (Felling and Protection), Identification, Surveys, Grant Woodland Ecology, Management and Project Planning, Ancient Orchards etc.
Well over 40% of Ancient Woodlands have been lost since the 1920s, many small woods and many thousands of individual trees have been lost in this County. Figures such as these illustrate the dramatic suffering our landscape has undergone, not to mention the associated damage inflicted on Wildlife and our environment --- all within our own Parish and County. We, in the Parish, are desperately short of woodlands, but with the help of the Parish Council, Country Carers, and other Groups the situation is slowly being rectified. Two areas of community woodland and a wildlife area are in the process of being built planted, thanks to the help given by local landowners, our children will at least have more trees to study.
You may think, on looking round our Parish we have plenty of trees, but most of these are mature, in the middle or in old age. We must plant more young Broadleave species to replace these and we must do it now.
"Trees need people and people need Trees"
(Even if only to overcome some of the pollution we create)
RP.- What do we plant, when we plant a tree ?
- We plant the ship, which will cross the sea.
- We plant the mast to carry the sails;
- We plant the planks to withstand the gales -
- The Keel, the Keelson, the Beam, the Knee;
- We plant the ship when we plant a tree.
- What do we plant, when we plant a tree ?
- We plant the houses for you and me.
- We plant the rafters, the shingles, the floors,
- We plant the studding, the lath, the doors,
- The beams and sidings, all parts that be;
- We plant the house when we plant the tree.
- What do we plant, when we plant the tree ?
- A thousand things that we daily see;
- We plant the spire that out-towers the crag,
- We plant the staff for our country’s flag,
- We plant the shade, from the hot sun free...
- We plant all these when we plant a tree.
- (and to keep us up to date we can add:--)
- What do we do, when we plant a tree ?
- We control pollution for you and me,
- We restore the habitat and woodland Bays;
- We will need the shade from the hot suns rays,
- We help all this when we plant the tree.
In 1985, the theme for National Tree Week was "Harmony Wood", being the fortieth anniversary of the end of World War II. The idea was to plant a wood on vacant derelict land, or restore a neglected area of woodland or scrub. This Parish, through the good offices of a local resident and the former County Urban Fringe Project decided to do the former and plant a new wood to extend the existing woodland in the area, along the right of way, and call the whole area "Harmony Woods".
The ceremonial opening was arranged with local dignitaries (County, District and Parish) Scouts, Cubs, British Legion and Conservation Groups.
Top soil was imported and tree planting began, it has continued ever since, not, I must say, with the same enthusiasm of those days, but it is beginning to look like a wood.
I wonder how many other Parishes still have their "Harmony Wood" ?
The new trees have now blended in with the existing trees of the wood and Marl Pit. The hedges are reaching the stage when they require to be faced-up in preparation for "Laying" at a later date. The site is adjacent to the North Worcestershire Path at Houndsfield and near to our one and only mature "Native Black Poplar".
Information supplied by Roy Pearson Wythall Footpath Officer and County Tree Warden.