Agenda item

This report will be presented by the Environmental Services & Strategy Manager.

A 10-year Tree Planting Strategy and associated planting plan 2021-2031 is being drafted in support of the Council’s declaration of a climate emergency.

The Environmental Services and Strategy Manager covered the background of his report and explained to Members that tree planting projects have an important part to play in terms of helping to tackle climate change. He advised that the team wanted this strategy to be truly collaborative. The Tree Officer then explained the aims and objectives of the strategy to Members, he explained that it was important to leave a legacy that would be highly visible over time. The 10-year action plan over the course of 90 sites would enable the team to identify the best opportunity for tree planting. He advised that planting schemes do have a very high mortality rate and the plan was to build into the action plan a strategy to ensure high survival rates as well as ensuring that the right tree, was in the right place. In summing up he stated that careful planning and local knowledge would be invaluable to the strategy.

There were a number of questions asked by the Working Group and these are detailed below:

·       Cllr Gunner commented that he hoped to see more urban and suburban tree planting and that the report did not constitute a strategy. He felt uncomfortable being asked to recommend to Cabinet a strategy that had not been seen. The Environmental Services and Strategy Manager advised that this report sought to agree the next steps for the development of a full strategy which at present is in draft form.  The planting plan will be one of the key elements to the full strategy. 

·       Cllr Thurston asked if more information about where the first few projects would be started and how the Parish Councils would be involved? In response to Cllr Gunner, Cllr Ms Thurston said roadside trees were a West Sussex County Council (WSCC) project and they had just released the West Sussex Tree Plan which would involve a West Sussex Tree Forum.  The Environmental Services and Strategy Manager stated that if the working group required an updated report within the next 12 months that this could done. 

·       Cllr Brooks asked in terms of disease, when we plant the right tree in the right place do, we plant a mixture of species in case of disease or pest attacks?  He also asked if the Officers could take into consideration preserving larger open areas for events.  The Tree Officer explained that in terms of inappropriate placement of trees impacting on events, that this was the reason why the strategy was being created to look at the correct placement of trees.  Regarding pest and disease resilience, species diversity of the stock of trees was key to the strategy.

Further discussion was had by members in relation to the recommendation in the report, a proposal to amend the wording was put by Councillor Dixon and seconded by Councillor Ms Thurston that read;

To recommend to Cabinet that Arun the creation of a proposed Tree Planting Strategy 2021-2031 and the full development of an associated planting plan, based on the principles outlined in this report

          On debating this proposal Members were quickly in agreement that the wording for the recommendation did need strengthening, several suggestions of different wording were provided by members, it was Councillor Gunner’s proposal of;

‘To recommend to Cabinet that Arun endorses the principals outlined in this report which will form the basis of tree planting strategy 2021 to 2031 and an associated planting plan which will both be presented to the relevant committee before being approved’.

          That was favoured by the Working Group, at this stage Councillor Dixon and Ms Thurston withdrew their original proposal.

          The Working Group

RECOMMEND TO CABINET:

To recommend to Cabinet that Arun endorses the principals outlined in this report which will form the basis of tree planting strategy 2021 to 2031 and an associated planting plan which will both be presented to the relevant committee before being approved’