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Aims
of the Tree Council
The Tree
Council was founded in 1974 with major
support from the Department of the
Environment and in 1978 became an
independent registered charity.
The Tree
Council's aims are:
* to
improve the environment in town and
country by promoting the planting and
conservation of trees and woods throughout
the United Kingdom;
* to
disseminate knowledge about trees and
their management;
* to act
as a forum for organisations concerned
with trees, to identify national problems
and to provide initiatives for
co-operation.
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Trees
in Britain
Trees are
the longest-lived organisms on earth. They
are a beautiful and precious part of our
natural heritage. Without them our
landscape would be desolate. But a
treeless landscape means the loss of far
more than beauty. Many of our wild animals
and plants depend on trees for their
existence, and woodland supports a larger
number of breeding bird species than any
other habitat in Britain.
Much of
lowland Britain was originally covered
with broadleaved and deciduous woodland.
By 1905, after centuries of woodland
clearance, Britain had less than 5% tree
cover. This area has now doubled, although
two-thirds of our present woodland is
coniferous and mainly evergreen. Britain
is still one of the least wooded countries
in Europe.
There is
no room for complacency. During the last
50 years 45% of our ancient, semi-natural
woodland has been cleared or converted to
plantation. Nineteen million trees were
blown down in the storms of 1987 and 1990.
More than 30 million trees have been
killed by Dutch elm disease. Unless we
have a continuing programme of promoting
natural regeneration, managing woods and
planting trees as future replacements for
existing stock, the landscapes we now
cherish will inevitably deteriorate
We need
more trees in town and country alike.
Trees bring nature into the heart of our
towns and cities, making them more
pleasant places in which to live and work.
Inner city areas, derelict industrial
sites and urban fringe areas can all be
transformed by planting trees and creating
woods. In the country we need more trees
to diversify wildlife habitats and provide
shelter, enhance landscapes, supplement
poor natural regeneration, replace
farmland and hedgerow trees which have
died or been felled and reduce our timber
imports from tropical forests and
elsewhere.
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What
Does The Tree Council Do?
Working
through and on behalf of its
member
organisations,
the Tree Council aims to create an
awareness of the value of trees and of the
need for more trees and their better
management. It uses every opportunity to
inform people about trees, to alert them
to national tree problems and to seek
solutions.
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Co-operation
The Tree
Council's wide membership
equips it to foster cooperation between
individuals, voluntary groups, private and
public landowners, corporate interests and
local authorities. Much has been achieved
since 1974. Many more organisations and
individuals now realise the vital part
which trees play in our environment, and
are willing to co-operate in conserving
and planting trees and woods.
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Forums
The Tree
Council holds regular forums
where member organisations debate tree
topics of current concern . Thus as an
independent, representative and non-profit
making organisation, the Tree Council is
able to put forward a balanced and
national view to central and local
government, industry and other
organistaions and individuals.
National
Tree Week
Each
November the Tree Council organises
National
Tree Week
at the start of the tree planting season.
National Tree Week is the UK's largest
annual tree planting campaign and a
nationwide festival of trees. Since 1995,
the Week has been sponsored by Esso UK
plc. Its purpose is to raise public
awareness of trees and to encourage tree
planting and good management. Voluntary
organisations, local authorities, schools
and tree wardens, among others, support
the week by arranging local events
throughout the UK. The number of events
has been rising steadily and over
1,000,000 trees are now planted during the
Week .
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Esso
Walk in the Woods
In 1996, a
second focal point to the year was
introduced, Esso
Walk in the
Woods.
This is launched in on the first May
Spring Bank Holiday , to mark the season
when trees and woods are generally at
their most attractive, and aims to
encourage as many people as possible to
Walk in the Woods during May.
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WPA
Trees Love Care Days
Every
year, thousands of recently planted trees
die from the lack of a few minutes of
timely care - possibly as many as 9 out of
10 in urban areas. In 1999, its Silver
Jubilee year, the Tree Council is
launching a third annual campaign,
Tree
Love Care
Days,
sponsored by Western Provident
Association, to emphasis the vital
importance of proper maintenance.
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The
National Grid Tree Warden
Scheme
The Tree
Council promotes and co-ordinates the
Tree
Warden
Scheme,
sponsored by National Grid which was
launched in September 1990. The Tree
Warden Scheme is a national initiative
which enables people to play an active
role in conserving and enhancing their
local trees and woods. Tree Wardens are
volunteers who gather information about
their local trees, give advice on tree
matters, protect threatened trees and
encourage local practical tree projects.
The Tree Council is working closely with
local authorities and voluntary
organisations to set up schemes in town
and country throughout the British Isles.
By the end of 1998, there were over 6,500
Wardens in 112 schemes.
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Information
and Media
The Tree
Council answers enquiries from the public
and, when appropriate, directs enquiries
to the technical help which member
organisations can provide. It obtains wide
publicity for National Tree Week and other
Tree Council concerns in the national and
local press., television and radio. It
publishes a magazine, Tree
News,
twice a year, which is distributed to
members, interested organisations and
individuals. A range of other publications
is also available.
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Trees
for Schools Grant
The Tree
Council runs its own Trees
for Schools tree planting grant
fund
for UK schools and particulary welcomes
applications. Resources are slender and
grants inevitably small. Applications for
grants, which are allocated each autumn,
should be made by July 31st.
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Management
The Tree
Council is jointly controlled by its
member organisations. These have a common
interest in and recognition of the value
of trees, though with different emphasis.
Its members include arboricultural
conservation, forestry, landowning,
landscape, farming, educational, planning
and amenity organisations. Government
departments and their agencies sit on the
Council in a consultative capacity. The
council is administered by a staff of two
from its London office and has two
national project officers and a part-time
press and publicity officer.
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