Regional Tree Warden Forums and National Coordinator’s Workshop

It was wonderful to be out once again around the country, meeting with over 340 Tree Wardens and other local tree champions at our five regional Tree Warden Forums this Autumn. Aside from going on some truly memorable tree walks – braving chilly, wet and windy conditions – we heard from some very thought-provoking speakers, all putting trees and climate change at the heart of their presentations. We covered topics such as urban forestry, the value of trees, visions of rewilding, the value of hedges, growing trees from seed with the community, the challenges of ash dieback, the historical significance of trees and much more. As ever, one of the most valuable parts of the days was during the open forum discussions when ideas for the 30^th anniversary of tree wardening were discussed and many other important topics discussed.

The National Tree Champion Sir William Worsley, was also with us at each Forum … by pre-recorded video! He wanted to share a message of thanks to all Tree Wardens and sent a call to keep up the fantastic work you’re doing for trees – you can watch the video here. As well as updates and news from The Tree Council, we’re hugely grateful to all the speakers who gave up their time and shared their knowledge and insights with the Tree Wardens. The speakers included:

•       Dr Tony Whitbread, President Sussex Wildlife Trust

•       Prof Alan Simson, Leeds Beckett University

•       Kenton Rogers, Treeconomics

•       Robert Wolton, Devon Hedges

•       Adam Owen, Director of Moor Trees

•       Tim Kellett, Cornwall Ancient Tree Forum

•       Iestyn Griffiths, Norfolk County Council

•       Dr Gerry Barnes, University of East Anglia

•       Dr Kieron Doick, Forest Research

•       Madeleine Hodge, Ash Project

•       Kevin Mason, Epping Tree Warden Network

•       Michael Anders, Wirral Borough Council

•       Ann Reynolds, Cornwall County Council

•       Laura Jones, Cornwall County Council

•       David Curry, Plymouth Tree Partnership

•       Alan Frith, Mote Park

•       Ben Norwood, National Trust

•       Dr Dealga O’Callaghan, Arboricultural Consultant

The presentations and photos from each of the five regional Forums can be viewed here:

Midlands – National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire, hosted by Coventry, Warwickshire and Leicestershire Tree Warden Networks

East Anglia – Reedham, Norfolk, hosted by Broadland Tree Warden Network

Northern - Birkenhead Town Hall, Merseyside hosted by Wirral Tree Partnership and Wirral Borough Council

South East – Mote Park, Kent, hosted by Kent Tree & Pond Partnership

South West – Lanhydrock National Trust, Cornwall, hosted by Cornwall Country Council

It was also fascinating to see the regional differences in our (very rough) tree planting census in each region. Here are the results:

Of course the numbers are only indicative, but there are fascinating regional differences in terms of where the trees have been planted… East Anglia focusing on hedge planting whilst the Midlands focus on woodland planting. We look forward to repeating the exercise next year!

We’re hugely grateful to all the networks who hosted the Forums this year. So much care and attention went into planning and executing each event for the benefit of the Tree Wardens in the region. The feedback has been excellent all round – thank you so much.

Given the large geographic area covered by each region, we change the location of the Forums every year, to try and give everyone a chance to attend. If any networks are keen to host next autumn’s Forum in their patch – then please do get in touch with Clare. It would be great to set the dates and venues in nice and early next year.

National Tree Warden Coordinator Workshop

The Tree Council team were also delighted to host Tree Warden Coordinators from 17 networks in London’s Richmond Park on Friday 15 November to address some key issues facing trees at this time and make plans for the future. We discussed options around Tree Warden training, local tree strategies, trees and The Tree Council in the media and the direction of The Tree Council brand. The group were then led on a guided walk of beautiful Richmond Park by Assistant Park Manager, Adam Curtis.

Key presentations from the day can be found here.

We’re so grateful and inspired by all of you whose dedication, time and skill makes such a difference for their local trees. We’ll keep working hard for you - thank you all!

Share your thoughts with your Regional Advisory Group Representative

Our final Pilot Advisory Group meeting of 2019 will take place in early December in Oxford, so if you have thoughts or ideas for your Tree Warden network in 2020, please send them to your PAG representative.