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Introduction
The aim of this paper is to describe the benefits that are derived by a
Local Authority and its residents by involvement in the Tree Warden Scheme,
a scheme to involve volunteers in protecting and managing their local trees.
The Scheme is co-ordinated nationally by The Tree Council, in partnership
with the national sponsor National Grid.
Scheme Origin
The Tree Warden Scheme had its origin in the early 1980s in East Sussex and
Leicestershire. The object of the Scheme was to create a network of informed
people who could co-ordinate local tree based environmental improvements on
behalf of the County Council. In 1989 there were 173 Tree Wardens in East
Sussex and Leicestershire. In that same year the Tree Council initiated a
National Tree Warden Scheme, based on the East Sussex model. It has grown
and spread with enormous speed and 12 years later there are 8000 Tree
Wardens in 118 Local Authorities.
What do Tree Wardens do?
The tasks in which the Tree Council recommend that a Tree Warden might
become involved fall within four broad headings:- gathering information,
local liaison, practical projects and protecting trees.
The ideas that follow are an outline of the types of projects with which a
Tree Warden might become involved.
Gathering information
If Tree Wardens or Local Authorities are to conserve and improve the
community's stock of trees, they need to know as much as possible about its
present state. Often the first task Tree Wardens undertake is to collate all
the existing recorded information about the trees in their community. Where
this information is not available, Tree Wardens undertake surveys to
discover as much as possible about the location, species, age and condition
of the woodland and the non-woodland trees in their area.
Local liaison
Many people who require information about trees do not know who to contact
in their Local Authorities. The Tree Wardens, by having this information,
act as a clearing house with the aim of feeding the information rapidly to
the community, thus improving communications between the public and the tree
professionals.
Practical projects
Some Tree Wardens like to spend their time organising, or encouraging others
to organise, practical tree projects. Acting as a catalyst is an important
part of this task because the Tree Wardens alone cannot hope to undertake
personally all the possible projects.
Some examples of projects Tree Wardens have carried out include:
setting up tree nurseries with local schools
forming local residents into a tree care committee
conserving local varieties of apple trees
organising guided tree walks for the local community
organising tree planting events on community, private and school grounds
Tree Wardens, in conjunction with their local communities, are continuing to
use their imagination in developing new and exciting environmental projects.
Protecting trees
Trees and woodlands need protection, and local people can often see what
needs to be done before Council officials. Tree Wardens can provide a vital
service by informing Councils of tree diseases, infringements of Tree
Preservation Orders and planning consents which require trees to be
retained. Tree Wardens become aware of tree vandalism and can help repair
damage on a small scale. They look out for trees which are showing signs of
ill health or of becoming dangerous through decay.
Benefits of a Tree Warden Scheme
The four roles for Tree Wardens are the core of the project and obvious
environmental benefits are accrued by the involvement of the community in
these endeavours. However in Local Government it is necessary to show not
only the practical benefits of a project, but also how it fits into other
current initiatives.
Benefits to a Local Authority of running a Tree Warden network include:
meeting Local Agenda 21 commitments to engage the community in the
management of their environment
involving the community in the planning process (eg in Epping where the Tree
Wardens co-ordinated local aspects of the Authorities Tree Strategy)
saving money. Proper care for trees early in their development can save
expensive long-term maintenance. Involvement of the community in this
process can help by providing eyes and ears or voluntary help. This will
show long term savings to the authority.
demonstrating a commitment by the Local Authority to enabling community
participation and decision making
offering local residents Life Long Learning opportunities
creating links with parish councils and other groups
enhancing existing working practices through the provision of voluntary
assistance, thus demonstrating Best Value, (eg improving the auditing of
Free Tree Schemes, improving survival rates of young trees by formative
maintenance)
providing a "customer" base for Best Value consultations, which will be
increasingly important as Best Value develops and working practices are
discussed
providing voluntary labour for local tree conservation (average time
commitment per Tree Warden is 164 hours per year)
providing matched funding for Lottery applications, each Tree Warden being
valued at £931 per annum in voluntary time (at the Heritage Lottery rate of
£50 per day)
generating inward investment in the environment, with Tree Wardens being
able to generate funding not available to the Local Authority (eg one West
Sussex Warden is co-ordinating a £60,000 Millennium Green project)
providing informed and enthusiastic volunteers to engage in projects the
authority may be planning or undertaking, (eg Millennium tree projects)
providing the Tree Officers with a network of eyes and ears (eg improved
monitoring of TPO trees)
raising the profile of the Tree Section and the tree works that the
Authority undertake with both the public and local politicians
providing good publicity for the Authority, with photo opportunities on
projects or initiatives Tree Wardens undertake
engaging local school children in caring for their environment
encouraging better information flow within the community and between the
community and the Authority
dispelling myths and rumours about trees (eg ivy does not kill trees)
Benefits to the trees include:
local people involved in managing newly planted trees improving their
survival
increases in tree planting and young tree maintenance (average number of
newly planted trees per Tree Warden per annum is 30, all of which are
maintained by the Tree Warden)
wider community participation in caring for trees
Tree Warden Activity
Once the Tree Warden network has been established the Local Authority can
expect the Wardens to begin to undertake a range of projects. A recent
survey of 1500 Tree Wardens showed an average annual commitment of 164 hours
per Tree Warden. Obviously the specific nature of the projects which the
Tree Wardens undertake depend upon the nature of their local environment and
their individual interests.
Conclusion
The Tree Warden Scheme provides
a cost effective way of involving the community with trees
a proven method of working with the community
national and regional support for authorities starting a Scheme
free information provided for Tree Wardens
the ability to empower the community to manage their environment
For more details about the Scheme please contact:
Jon Stokes
The Tree Council, 71 Newcomen Street, London SE1 1YT
Phone: (020) 7407 9992
Fax: (020) 7407 9908
Published by
BTCV 2006
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