Birmingham Trees for life are working with the following partners:
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham Civic Society
Birmingham Open Spaces Forum
Service Team Veolia
Glendale Managed Services
Birmingham Parks and Nurseries
Central Trees
Frank P Matthews Ltd
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Edgbaston Guinea Gardens
CSV Environment
Birmingham International Airport
Spar UK
Birmingham City Council
Birmingham Trees for Life was set up following the publication of a Scrutiny Review on Trees in the Highway published in February 2006. This study brought to the attention of the Council the importance of trees and suggested ways of raising the profile of trees in the City. You can download a copy of the report from here.
The Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture, Councillor Ray Hassall set a side money in his 2006/07 budget to allow Birmingham Trees for Life to be set up and to carry out a range of planting projects involving school children in lots of different areas of the City.
On a day to day basis, the Council looks after over a million trees on Council owned land. To find out more about who to contact about Council owned trees, click here.
The Birmingham Civic Society
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 main objectives of the Birmingham Civic Society are to ensure that Birmingham is an attractive city by working to:
• stimulate interest and pride in the history and well being of the city,
• ensure high standards in planning, building and preservation, including the provision and use of public spaces,
• encourage developments designed to enhance the amenities of the city and its general prosperity.
Responsibility for managing the trees programme lies with the Trees Committee – a Committee within The Birmingham Civic Society, subject to the overall authority of its Executive Council.
For more information on the Civic Society click here.
Birmingham Open Spaces Forum
Birmingham Open Spaces Forum is a network organisation that aims to bring together all the people in Birmingham with an interest in open spaces. BOSF offers opportunities for groups and individuals interested in open spaces to share knowledge and experience.
It works with Birmingham Trees for Life in promoting tree planting in Birmingham’s wide variety of open spaces and involving the local community in tree planting projects. For more information on the activities of BOSF click here.
Service Team Veolia
Birmingham City Council’s parks and open spaces are looked after by three Grounds Maintenance Service Providers, each covering part of the City. Service Team work in the east of the city. They have prepared the ground, planted the large trees and helped out on the day of the tree planting events organised by Birmingham Trees for Life. For more information email.
Glendale Managed Services
Glendale work in the northern part of the City and have planted trees and helped to supervise our events. They can be contacted at: ray.holton@glendale-services.co.uk
Birmingham Parks and Nurseries
BPN work in the southern part of the City and have planted trees and helped with our events in that part of the City, email.
Central Trees
Central Trees are one of Birmingham City Council’s two arboricultural advisors who look after Council owned trees. They sponsored the five Reading Trees that were planted in schools during 2007.
Frank P Matthews Ltd
This company based in Tenbury Wells produces a whole range of trees for wholesale distribution throughout the Midlands. It specialises in growing a large number of different varieties of apple trees. The company is run by Nick Dunn whose grandfather supplied the fruit trees when Bourneville Estate was laid out in Edwardian times. As our partners in the Birmingham Apple Day, they displayed over 200 varieties of apples grown at their nursery. The company is primarily wholesale but there is now a cash-and-carry at their nursery in Tenbury for retail sales. For more information visit.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens & Glasshouses are a 15 acre oasis of delight in Edgbaston. Designed by J. C. Loudon, a leading garden planner, horticultural journalist and publisher, they opened to subscribers in 1832. Today, you will find beauty, peace and tranquility combined with excellent visitor facilities for all the family.
The Birmingham Apple Day held in October is a partnership between the Botanical Gardens, Birmingham Trees for Life and Frank P Matthews Ltd.
For more information on the gardens visit.
Edgbaston Guinea Gardens
Not far from the Botanical Gardens are the Edgbaston Guinea Gardens. The first allotments were laid out by 1850 on land that was originally part of the Botanical Gardens. By 1855, the allotments had been extended along the Chad Brook down to the Canal. There are only four or five surviving sites across the country as old as these allotments. As part of the Apple Day project, the heritage apple trees on the allotment site are being identified and plans to conserve and enhance the ‘orchard’ are planned. For more information on the Guinea Gardens visit.
CSV Environment
The Birmingham office of Commnity Services Volunteers are our partners in the Reading Tree Project. They worked in the classroom with school children to teach them about the importance of trees and then organised the planting of the tulip trees and the installation of the benches around them. For more information on CSV visit.
Birmingham International Airport
We are working with BIA’s Community and Environment Team to develop tree planting schemes near the airport as they are conscious of the impact they have on the environment and the local community. For more information on their community and environment programme visit.
Spar UK
planting event with links to athletics and involving local children. It was agreed that 50 trees would be planted, one for each country participating in the Championships, and English Oaks were chosen as a suitable species, being the national tree of England. Perry Park, to the rear of the new National Athletics High Performance Training Centre was chosen as the planting venue, adjacent to the Alexander Stadium, spiritual home of athletics in the City. For more information email.