‘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 stimulate 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.
By Autumn 2008 many more people will be involved - in a bigger and better Apple Day at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens on Saturday 27th October, planting in open spaces with Friends organisations and other events across the City to celebrate the importance of trees.
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 monthly 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, a 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
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
Emma Woolf Vice Chair Birmingham Open Spaces Forum
Sarah Royal Chair Birmingham Open Spaces Forum
James Wheeler, Chief Executive Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Freddie Gick Chairman of the Birmingham Civic Society