Richmond Council to give away 1000 trees
Kew is blessed with trees of all shapes and sizes. They grace every vantage point throughout the year, giving fabulous vibrant displays in the autumn, stark bare structures in the winter and lush green canopies in the spring and summer. Beyond their appearance, trees play an important role making our urban landscape healthier and more climate resilient.
Autumnal trees at the Old Deer Park
As Councillor Julia Neden-Watts, Chair of Richmond’s Sustainability, Culture, and Sports Committee recently remarked:
“Trees are a vital and cherished part of our urban landscape, making our borough greener, healthier and more beautiful for residents and visitors alike”.
Richmond Council is responsible for over 25,500 trees, 107 hectares of woodland and 12.5 km of wooded towpath. Over the past five years, nearly 3,000 trees have been planted across highways, parks and open spaces.”
Of course, the scale of this task requires the Council to develop a robust strategy and management plan to enable our trees to continue to thrive and play their role.
You can help the Council in formulating and implementing its tree strategy in a number of ways:
(1) Request a free tree
The free trees will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and must be reserved online or by calling 020 8891 1411. Species available include British natives like Silver Birch, Field Maple, Hawthorn, Crab Apple, as well as the vibrant Cornelian Cherry Dogwood native to southwestern Europe and west Asia.
(2) Help care for the trees in your street
Of course, not everyone has a space that is suitable for a tree. So why not help with tree care on your street instead? Lack of water is the number one cause of tree mortality for street trees in England. Richmond is no exception. Together with neighbours, it doesn’t take much to water a young tree weekly. For that small effort, we get greener, cooler, calmer, healthier places to live.
It would be fabulous if every street in Kew had a volunteer to take the lead on tree care on their street. If you’d like to help, why not join the Friends of Street Trees initiative?
(3) Share your thoughts by completing the Tree Planting Survey
Your ideas on existing and future trees in the Borough will help produce a comprehensive Tree Planting and Establishment Strategy that aligns with the Council’s Climate Emergency Strategy, Corporate Plan, and Biodiversity Action Plan. The deadline for completing the survey is 23 January 2025. It can be accessed here.
You can also request a paper copy or alternative formats by contacting treesandparks@richmond.gov.uk or calling 020 8891 1411 quoting ’Richmond Council Tree Planting Strategy Survey’.
Autumnal trees at Westerly Ware
Together we can help to ensure that residents of Kew continue to be blessed with a tree filled urban landscape for years to come.
