Trees which line the streets of Lincoln can now be saved from felling thanks to a new charter that has been introduced in the city.
A new Tree Charter, which is promoted by the Woodland Trust, has been supported by the City of Lincoln Council and will help preserve vital greenery and plant new saplings across the city.
The trust, which worked with Transition Lincoln to stop a tree on the High Street being chopped down recently, hopes the charter will help save other trees in the city.
The tree that was saved is now under the trust’s protection after the council backed down.
Woodland Trust spokesperson Dee Smith said: “The local group which ran the campaign to save the tree in the city center was Transition Lincoln – one of our most active Charter Branches. Transition Lincoln, like many Transition Town Groups, lead a range of activities in the build-up to the campaign.
“On the back of the campaign led by Transition Lincoln, we were able to secure a meeting with the city council last year. Following this, the council, at a meeting of its executive in early January, agreed to formally support the Tree Charter.
“To mark this, the council has invited representatives from the Woodland Trust to plant trees at one of its major parks, Boultham Park in early February.
“This will be the start of a relationship with the council – including supporting the development of a tree strategy – to include plans for improving canopy cover in the city.”
The trees in need of protection are often those which are proposed for removal to make way for a development that could instead be retained within the new development.
There is also the risk trees could be damaged by other activities such as demolition of nearby buildings, events, traffic, or heavy equipment damaging roots by compacting the ground.
The Woodland Trust, which is based in Grantham or the protection of trees in the UK, with over 500,000 supporters across the country.
The trust was launched to help people concerned about questionable evidence of tree health and offers guidance on seeking alternative opinions or how to get recognition from councils about the issues found.
The aims of the Trust are to protect ancient woodlands that have been around for a long time which are viewed as rare, unique, and irreplaceable. The restoration of these damaged ancient woodlands helps to bring the precious pieces of our natural history back to life that people do not realise are so important to protect.
The trust hopes that it will be able to plant hundreds of native trees to create resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.
Mrs. Smith said: “Street trees are at the heart of our community, adding character to our streets. They join us on our daily commute and provide a host of benefits for people, wildlife, and our urban environment.”
“They improve urban air quality, bring colour, shade and shelter and provide a home for wildlife.”
The street tree campaigns are designed to inform, empower, and encourage local people to take action themselves to protect the environment, no matter how small the action is. Even if it is just saving one tree from felling everything will make a difference to the environmental standard of our cities.
The trust relies heavily on its 2600 volunteers who carry out a wide range of roles. These include spotting threatened woodlands that need the trust’s help and to spread the word about the value of woods and trees.
Mrs. Smith said: “It is so easy to help the trust, even just planting a tree does so much for the environment.”
The Woodland Trust gives away millions of free trees every year to schools and community groups and has created subsidised planting schemes for landowners and farmers.
Mrs. Smith added: ” For those who don’t have room to plant a tree they can dedicate them instead. We have a number of options from single tress to whole areas of woodland. People do this to commemorate special occasions like a new baby, a birthday, Father’s Day, or the death of a loved one.
“We also have married couples who ask wedding guests not to buy them gifts but to dedicate trees instead.”
Visit The Woodland Trust website for more information.