Local authorities, town and parish councils are increasingly setting targets for tree planting as councillors and residents look to councils to help respond to the climate emergency. The Councils we work with have made great strides in developing woodland opportunity plans, planting on their land, planting on roadsides and working with schools and partners to plant trees. Avon Needs Trees can work with your Council to go even further.
The Councils we work with tell us they are running out of land they own to plant on, or are concerned about impacting revenue budgets in the short-term by creating woodlands and in the long-term by creating a woodland maintenance liability.
As a charity, Avon Needs Trees has a delivery model that can help Councils. We are nimble and are able to assemble projects at speed whilst working carefully with stakeholders to ensure the right tree is being planted in the right place for the right reasons. We are able to fundraise with the community and businesses and access grant funding not available to local authorities. We keep costs lower by recruiting volunteers, both to plant trees and specialists who offer their knowledge pro bono. We are dedicated to long-term aftercare and can manage long-term liabilities.
We are discussing different models of delivery with various Councils and other public sector bodies. We are open to transfer of ownership of land – be that existing Council land, or newly purchased land as part of Section 106 agreements. We are also open to a delivery partnership where we manage entire woodland creation projects, from planning, to implementation, to long-term maintenance. All we ask in return is that the land is protected, for example by conservation covenant, to ensure its permanence.
We are always keen to hear from officers, councillors and other public sector bodies about potential tree-planting projects.
