News / heatwave
Councillors call for faster tree planting after extreme heatwave
Councillors have called for faster tree planting in Bristol to protect the city from the impact of extreme heatwaves.
Last month saw record high temperatures across the country, and experts predict similar extreme heatwaves to occur more often as the climate warms up. One way of protecting vulnerable people from heat is through planting trees, as the canopy provides shade.
Bristol City Council is aiming to double the city’s tree canopy by 2046, from a baseline of 12 per cent in 2018. During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, August 2, council chiefs said they have made good progress so far, but opposition councillors have urged for the planting to be sped up.
is needed now More than ever
Councillor Heather Mack, leader of the Green group, said: “Given the recent heatwave and the concerns about overheating, are we moving fast enough to replace where we’re losing canopy? I think it’s crucial that a lot of the purpose of the canopy in the city is protecting from heat.”
Bristol City Council felled a 70-foot tree in Horfield back in March under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act despite a man’s sit-in protest – Photo: Martin Booth
Latest estimates put the current canopy cover at 18 per cent, according to mayor Marvin Rees, although this was disputed by environmental campaigners from the Bristol Tree Forum. One problem the council faces is replacing ash trees lost to the killer fungal disease ash dieback.
Councillor Nicola Beech, cabinet member for strategic planning, resilience and floods, said: “Canopy changes are actually the last mile in this story, because everything that comes before is important—finding the plots, what’s the safest, quickest and most practical tree pit you want—it’s that kind of stuff that happens all summer while we get ready to plant the trees in the next planting season. So there’s a huge amount of work happening right now.
“The majority of ash is not in publicly accessible spaces in this city, it’s in nature reserves or the big woodlands. So in a wooded environment, you’re not looking to replace like-for-like because the natural progression of that woodland will fill that canopy space.
“I’m slightly confused about your question on resilience and the heatwave, because where we’re losing trees in the city is not in areas where we have the most resilience challenges. Generally speaking it’s in our highly wooded parts of the city.”
Earlier this year a huge 70–foot tree in Horfield was chopped down by the council, after a complaint from a resident whose garden was nearby. The council said the tree was actually “designated as a hedge” and was causing a nuisance as it was too tall.
Main photo: Felix Workman
Read more: ‘Heatwaves aren’t just ‘summer” – experts call for action
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