‘Birmingham Trees for Life’ is a new project devoted to promoting awareness and understanding
throughout the City of the value and importance of trees, to raise money to enable more trees
to be planted and to encourage the involvement of everyone, especially young people in tree planting.
Our Objectives
Birmingham, now more that ever before, needs its trees. Despite being an intensely urban area,
the City is proud of the way its many trees make it green and leafy. The trees in our streets, in our
parks and in our gardens contribute so much to our health, our economy, our wildlife and our everyday
quality of life. But they need to be valued and protected if they are going to survive in a modern,
bustling urban city and we need to plant more of them to increase the benefits they bring and replace
those that die.
The benefits that trees bring to Birmingham are enormous – can you imagine living in the
City without them?
Our trees keep us healthier; they filter polluted air alongside our busy roads, they provide
shade and a calming setting for recreation and relaxation. They absorb carbon dioxide, one
of the world’s major greenhouse gases so they are very important in the fight to reduce the
rate of global climate change. They provide habitats for birds and other wildlife in the city,
close to homes and schools. Trees soften the harshness of urban landscape and many people
prefer to live in the leafy residential areas of the city.
The Birmingham Civic Society and the City Council formed a new partnership in July 2006
committed to spreading the message that trees do matter. ‘Birmingham Trees for Life’ will
campaign to ensure that more of them are planted and those we have are looked after.
Everyone can appreciate the beauty of a tree and at a time when many of us are becoming
more concerned about our health, our neighbourhoods and climate change, concentrating on
increasing the number of trees in the City can really make a difference.
‘Birmingham Trees for Life’ is managed within the Birmingham Civic Society by the Trees
Committee. Many years ago, the Society helped the City to create and develop new parks.
The Tree Committee draws together members of the Society, councillors and officers of the
City Council, local environmental experts and representatives of the community. It is also
looking for someone from the city’s business community to become involved.
The good news is that the City Council is giving the project a kick start by allocating some funding
– the City Council has recently become more aware of the importance of trees as a result of the
Scrutiny Report into threats to our street trees and they are keen to support the planting of more
trees. The creation of this new partnership means that funds can be raised in a variety of ways to
fund all sorts of different tree planting schemes in a way that the Council cannot do by itself.
Our Objectives
* To promote awareness and understanding throughout the city of the value and importance of
trees for health, the environment, regeneration and the appearance of the city and to continue
to promote the positive image of Birmingham as a green city
* To raise money to enable more trees to be planted in the city
* To encourage the involvement of everyone, especially young people in tree planting to s
timulate their care for the environment
* To co-ordinate and promote existing tree planting in the City including that by the City Council
and the Third Sector
* To increase the number of trees in the city by regular planting on suitable sites.
* To take steps to protect existing trees in public places in the City.
We are already developing links with Birmingham businesses who are keen to enable their staff
to contribute to planting new young trees in the city’s urban spaces, parks and school playgrounds.
Community Service Volunteers (CSV) are partners, sharing their expertise in involving school
children in environmental education. Hilliers Nursery, one of the largest growers of trees in the
country, have supported us with advice and supplying high quality young trees. The Birmingham
Open Spaces Forum are providing a link to the many Friends of the city’s parks and open spaces.
Our first tree planting took place in Autumn 2006 and early Spring 2007. Nearly 300 semi-mature
trees were planted in 8 City Parks, a Community Orchard was planted, Apple Day celebrated and
five schools received ‘Reading Trees’. Over 400 school children were involved and over 150 local
residents.
Trees Committee
Birmingham Trees for Life was set up in July 2006 as a partnership between the City Council, The
Birmingham Civic Society, business and the voluntary sector. The overall aims are to plant more
trees in Birmingham and promote the importance of trees to the City. Responsibility for managing
the programme lies with the Trees Committee – a Committee within The Birmingham Civic Society,
subject to the overall authority of its Executive Council. The Committee meets every two months to
discuss the direction of the programme and review projects. The work on the programme has been
carried out by voluntary input from the members of the Trees Committee, an officer seconded from
the City Council for one day a week and officers from the City Council carrying out their normal duties.
Trees Committee
Rob Blyth
Chairman
Sue Griffith
Project Manager
Jane Harding
Project Support Officer
Geoff Cole
formerly Assistant Director Parks, Sports and Events at Birmingham City Council
Viv Astling
formerly Chairman of the National Forest Company and Chairman of BIA Consultative Committee
Rupert Johnson
Birmingham Open Spaces Forum
James Wheeler
Chief Executive Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Freddie Gick
Chairman of the Birmingham Civic Society
The Birmingham Civic Society
President: The Lord Mayor of Birmingham
Limited Company registered in England and Wales
No: 6426178
Registered Charity No: 1123806