Trees, Trees and More Trees

Jun 30

Read about Urban Forestry in Nottingham

Written by Georgina Harvey, from interview with Sandra Horner and Claire Smith-Harris. Edited by Rachel Jeffcoat.

June 2022

Why?

The city of Nottingham has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2028 and the council has ambitious plans to plant 50,000 trees by 2023. Nottingham’s tree planting programme started in October 2020 and is almost halfway there, with 24,000 trees planted so far. The tree planting programme has come to a natural, momentary pause as the ground is too dry in warmer months for planting, and so I thought it was a great opportunity to catch up with Volunteer and Tree Planting Coordinator, Sandra Horner, and Nottingham FPA Project Manager, Claire Smith-Harris to find out what has been happening.

Background - Nottingham Green Guardians

Nottingham Green Guardians (NGG) is a volunteer programme run by Nottingham City Council, launched in May 2021. The programme has created lots of ways the public can get involved including conservation, gardening and photography, as well as tree planting. Over 200 new volunteers now regularly give their time to help improve parks and open spaces across the city, with around 250 volunteers also attending ad-hoc volunteering events. Collectively they’ve given over 3,400 hours of their time. NGG also engage with and support numerous Friend of Groups.

People power

During the tree planting season, October 2021 –March 2022, just over half of the 9,000 newly planted trees were planted in parks and open spaces by several community groups and events including:

NGG
Community groups including Friends groups
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Women's Association
A local primary school
The local Wildlife Trust
Through planting days organised through Nottingham’s Green Social Prescribing Programme

These groups represent a diverse range of people, of different ages and backgrounds. They were engaged in different ways; some through existing partnerships and others had a keen interest in tree planting such as Green Hustle who have a passion for Miyawaki planting.

Miyawaki Forests

The rest of the trees planted in this season will become Miyawaki-style forests, in urban areas. These are created by planting approximately six trees per square metre, as opposed to three in standard tree planting. Nottingham is one of the first places in the UK to adopt this pioneering approach, ideal to bring diversity into urban areas. They grow in two to three years and are self-sustaining. They help to lower temperatures, reduce air and noise pollution, attract wildlife and store carbon. Pathways and places to sit have been built into the forests, enabling people to connect with nature on their doorstep.

Three out of the five new Miyawaki forests are “Tiny Forests”, a name coined by environmental charity Earthwatch and planted in partnership with them as well as other local groups.

Alongside the planting of Miyawaki Forests the team in Nottingham have been looking into the science behind tree planting, understanding that not all trees are equal and bring different benefits.

A tree canopy mapping report has also been commissioned which will be used to decide where best to plant trees and will help the rest of the City Council to understand the value of urban forests to the city.

Sustainable partnerships

Alongside partners Green Hustle and Earthwatch, Nottingham FPA has developed a Tree Guardian programme for the local community to help look after these Miyawaki-style Forests. This programme is running particularly well at Woodthorpe’s mini forest with a group of volunteers who come every month. The three Tiny Forests planted by Earth Watch are offering teacher training, so schools can offer a course on tree science and the biodiversity potential of different tree species to pupils as part of the curriculum. Groups like the Hockley Hustle and the Friends of Southglade Park, who planted trees in the 2021/22 season have stayed in touch and are signed up to help in the 2022/23 planting season as well. The longevity of these working relationships is what will ensure the sustainability of these urban forests, and the benefits they bring for people and nature.

Lessons Learnt and conclusion

The tree planting targets in Nottingham are hugely challenging and planting each tree can be very expensive due to the ground conditions –there are a lot of caves under the city. Thinking strategically about where, how and by who trees are planted is essential to the success of the programme. The progress made so far, despite the challenges, means there is optimism that targets can be met.

Once the trees are established and guards can be removed -in the next eighteen months, the spaces will be open to the public, forest schools and other groups increasing access to nature on the doorstep. Sandra and Claire are rightly proud of Nottingham’s urban forests created and used by the community, capturing hearts and minds along the way.

Future Parks Forests

Nottingham are not alone in their tree planting ventures. We wrote about the Plymouth Community Forest last summer which is progressing nicely, the 30-year multi million pound project developing the North East Community Forest in Newcastle is well underway. Urban Green Newcastle is a key partner.

Georgina Harvey