Kingston Council celebrates National Tree Week 2021
We are celebrating National Tree Week (27 November to 5 December), the UK’s largest annual tree celebration. This marks the start of our winter tree planting season (November to March each year).
National Tree Week encourages people to think about, celebrate and explore the beauty and necessity of the UK’s trees. Kingston currently manages 12,000 trees on streets throughout the borough, as well as trees in parks, green spaces and housing estates. The council signed two new contracts with Advanced Tree Services (ATS) and Glendale Green Spaces Contractor this November to oversee arboricultural services, which is the management of council-owned trees within the borough. Although ATS will carry out tree surgery and tree planting activities, decisions around the management of trees remain with the council.
We are currently undertaking two amazing tree planting projects to increase Kingston’s tree population and increase biodiversity around the borough.
Over the past two weeks, Employee Volunteering (@volunteeringuk) have supported over a hundred volunteers from Lloyds Bank who have helped to plant approximately 950 trees, with the help of Glendale Green Spaces and ATS.
All the trees were native hedgerow plants and used to create new hedgerows which will one day become a great habitat for a variety of animals.
Our other major project is our Winter Tree Planting Programme in which we will be planting 542 trees between November 2021 and March 2022. You can check back here at a later date to see a finalised map of tree planting locations.
The theme for this year’s National Tree week is #PlantForOurFuture, creating a sustainable future for our generations to come. Trees have enormous benefits for our community, with the environmental benefits being endless. Effects like absorbing airborne pollutants, producing oxygen, reducing localized extremes in temperature (helping to cool the air in summer and warm the air in winter), reducing the effects of flash floods and providing habitats for a variety of wildlife.
They also provide aesthetic backdrops, helping reduce stress levels and bring colour in urban areas.
To find out more information about trees in and around Kingston, you can head to our website, and check the Tree Council website for ways to get involved.