Watford Borough Council is asking residents to suggest locations for new trees, as part of its goal of planting 20,000 trees over the next four years.
To allow residents to request where new or replacement trees should be planted, the council has created a web form at www.watford.gov.uk/treeplanting, with suggestions being reviewed in October in time for planting from November to March. The deadline for submissions is 30 September for trees to be planted this coming tree planting season, and any submissions received after this date will be considered for next year’s tree planting season.
The tree planting is part of the council’s objectives to help Watford to become a greener, more sustainable place, and contributing to the town’s goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2030.
Trees and other flora help the environment by improving air quality, generating oxygen, locking away atmospheric carbon, reducing flood risk, providing self-contained ecosystems and valuable wildlife habitats and creating green corridors for animal migration. They are a vital part of a healthy town and healthy world, and make towns, cities and countries a richer place to live, work and visit.
These new trees will further enhance Watford’s landscape, which has 18% tree canopy cover, two percent higher than the national average. This has been achieved thanks to the town’s street tree population of 5230 trees and the 506 hectares of public open space including the woodlands of Whippendell Wood, Harebreaks Wood, Alban Wood and woodland areas in Oxhey Park, and Orchard Park.
Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said, “I’m thrilled that residents are being given the opportunity to get more involved with making Watford a greener place to live. Trees offer irreplaceable benefits for the town, cleaning our air and allowing nature to enrich our environment, as well as offering innumerable mental health benefits. I can’t wait to see new flora springing up around Watford!”
Cllr Ian Stotesbury, Portfolio Holder for Sustainability and Transport, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve agreed to plant lots more trees in our town. Trees provide massive benefits for our environment and help make our air cleaner. The new trees won’t just be in our award winning parks, woodlands and open spaces but also on local streets. We are working hard with local community groups, businesses and Veolia to make our parks and green spaces even better. I am determined to make Watford a greener place to live and work.”
Cllr Tim Williams, Portfolio Holder for Streets and Parks, said: “As well as playing a critical role in mitigating climate change, Watford’s trees also improve air quality by absorbing pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide, and they help to regulate temperature by absorbing radiation. They also help to alleviate flooding and they provide a valuable habitat for wildlife.”
For more information about Watford’s tree planting strategy, and their goals to be carbon-neutral by 2030, visit www.watford.gov.uk/environment/tree-planting
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