National Tree Week kicks off today (November 26) and runs until December 4.
The Tree Council has celebrated National Tree Week since 1973 and each year the country’s conservation sector, volunteer groups and tree-lovers come together to plant thousands of trees to mark the start of the annual tree planting season.
Joining the tree celebrations, the volunteers at Westbrook’s Sunken Garden have a Scots Pine to plant during their task day along with a Myrtle planted as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy.
With the help of Kent County Council, pupils at Draper’s Mill School will have the opportunity to do some tree planting towards the end of National Tree Week.
Westgate Town Council is also digging in by planting a tree to commemorate Queen Elizabeth. The planting takes place at 10am on Saturday, December 3rd at Westgate Rec on Lymington Road.
Twenty-five trees have also been planted at Warre Rec in Ramsgate.
Peter Hasted, from Thanet Urban Forest, said: “One of the biggest challenges when it comes to planting trees is finding suitable sites that can accommodate them.
“With so much competition between agricultural and housing, there a limited amount of space left in urban Thanet for trees that do not conflict with urban infrastructure, adding to the challenges of organising community tree plantings.
“Some 70% of the urban forest is privately owned so it really is down to all of us to protect and enrich it. There are many ways to do this, we can plant for pollinators, create more habitat, install green roofs, and of course plant trees.
“If you are considering planting a tree in your garden then choosing the right plant for the right place really is well worth researching, I can’t imagine anyone would particularly want to be chopping their tree down in 20 years’ time because it’s getting too big, invasive or structurally compromising.”
Local tree wardens are available via Kent Tree and Pond Wardens at [email protected] to offer guidance on selecting and planting and caring for your own tree.
Thanet Urban Forest would like to hear about your tree plantings and welcome everyone to share their planting stories images or clips on their Facebook page.
