Wirral Tree Wardens
new trees to plant...
We can help with applications for grants towards the costs of trees for planting in a number of locations and projects. It makes a difference if the trees are in privately or publically-owned locations, if planting involves schools or projects with children, if it's to create new woodlands, odd pockets or corners, copses, groves, coppices or specimen tree in a special place for a special meaning - so have a word with your local tree warden about "the right tree in the right place for the right purpose"
https://forms.gle/JpmJDbdA1Guauku26
We ( the Wirral Tree Wardens) are passing on surplus trees, locally propagated from UK seed or locally germinated and nurtured. These trees are surplus as CoVid 19, seasonal upsets, cold, heat etc. have messed with planting plans. They can be planted soon, as they're still in cold-storage. They are all chosen as either native species or as suitable as more resilient replacement varieties that will still support wildlife.
Mostly they suit large areas as they can grow big.
Some, however, make excellent hedges. They’ll do well in community woodlands, schools, community groups, private sites where the public can enjoy them, such as alongside footpaths or in residential care homes. They can be put in temporary planters for use by communities as part of regenerating their area.
We don't want to waste the opportunity of these trees, but we need the right trees to be planted in the right place in the right way.
so, to make sure we're passing on trees that have the best chances of thriving:
This is the checklist:
· Have you a suitable permanent site for what will grow into a big tree or a hedge, with the site owner's permission for planting?
· Or do you just want to “foster” trees to grow on in pots, raised beds or trenches for moving and re-planting if you can pass them back for next season’s planting. As an example, we are asking some gardeners, allotments and grower groups to give some space to trees which we can then use at a LATER season on site in parks, streets and other public authority sites and schemes.
(We can’t plant on those at the moment: all of these sites should fit in with the park’s management plans and need permission and careful consideration, and none are agreed or prepared yet)
· Can you plant trees, while maintaining social distancing and safety? (1 to 3 feet tall)
· Can you make sure they are looked after, such as watering them over the Summer?
If you’re contacting on behalf of a school, contact your Eco-Schools Adviser if you have one, or fill in the form below, specifying clearly which area you are in.
Remember that good tree practice insists on the right tree in the right place – trees that are not looked after or fail, just discourage the public from taking an interest in trees and protecting them.
Shoving trees into odd corners or in streets without permission and planning, is a bigger waste than if they'd just been chipped, shredded and composted, and guerilla planting can be a disaster which loses friends and makes planned sustainable planting harder in the future!
finally, here’s the form we need you to complete, so we have all the information in the one place:
https://forms.gle/JpmJDbdA1Guauku26
Orphan trees for adopting for community projects
or for foster care until they are ready fo the big wild world!
... and old trees to keep
Wirral Initiative on Trees is a collaboration between Wirral Tree Wardens and community groups, wildlife, environment, civic, conservation and landscape organisations to campaign for better care, protection and appreciation of trees. It is an explosive time, with a greater awareness of how important trees are to improve climates, environment, communities and well-being. This combines with a greater interest in volunteering and campaigning for trees. In Wirral, we have a backlog of damaged, diseased or dead trees in public places, needing attention or even removal after years of neglect or ill-treatment. So the public can see a lot of trees being felled and are very concerned, especially as there has previously been very poor sharing of information and many years of distrust.
So WiT has worked with Wirral Council and with the help of local and national tree bodies to create a guide to good practice for the area to follow and guidance for future work with trees. There is a strong commitment to retaining all the old trees that we can, protecting trees from ill-thought out building developments and other threats. There is a promise to be better at sharing information about trees. There is a commitment to plant many thousands of new trees. There is a commitment to natural regeneration - letting existing woodlands, copses, hedges and tree seedlings spread and thrive.
This work is brought together in the Strategy for Trees, Hedgerows and Woodlands, now adopted as policy by the Council.