More than 300 street trees have already been planted as part of the new tree planting season for 2023/24.
As part of the council’s Treemendous tree planting programme, 1250 new street trees will have been planted on streets across the borough by the end of this planting season. An additional 260 trees will also be planted to replace trees that have failed, been damaged or sadly needed felling because of disease or safety reasons. At present, the council currently maintains a total of 60,412 trees, a number which continues to grow.
Councillor Will Rowlands, Executive Councillor for Environment, says “We know that our residents value our tree lined streets that give colour and vibrancy to our streets all year round. This is an investment for now but also for future generations, who will also see the benefit.”
Councillor Rowlands continued, “Our street trees do so much to improve our environment and improve the health and wellbeing or all our residents and visitors. A big thank you to all our Tree Friends, resident groups and volunteers who continue to make such a difference in looking after these trees, especially supplementing the council’s tree watering in the summer months, in the crucial early period of the trees lives.”
Bromley Council embarked on an ambitious tree planting programme in 2021, aiming to plant 5000 trees in 4 years. In total, so far, more than 3000 trees have been planted. The trees planted have been carefully selected for the locations to complement the existing trees already on site or to improve and diversify the species of trees in that area.
Also introduced in the last planting and watering season, the council’s tree watering and maintenance contractor, Gristwood and Toms, have installed QR code cards on each newly planted Treemendous tree in the borough. These unique QR codes provide information about the tree species and records watering frequency and maintenance, as well as allowing residents to log their own watering and maintenance on the app. Residents can find out more about these QR’s and how they work on their website.
Residents can support these new trees by becoming Tree Friends in their area. The council’s Tree Friends work to help with watering, removing damaged branches, and reporting issues with trees, of which all residents can take play their part. To become a Tree Friend, residents can sign up at bromley.gov.uk/TreeFriends, where they can report issues with trees and find out more about how to water them.
Residents are also being invited to suggest where new trees could be planted. In the 2022/23 planting season, over 230 trees were planted following requests from residents. Visit bromley.gov.uk/trees for more information.
Ends
Notes to Editors:
- The council currently maintains a total of 60,412 trees, comprising of 34,446 street trees, 25,609 park trees, and 357 school trees, in addition to 552 hectares of council-owned woodland.
- Every newly planted tree benefits from an aftercare programme. With all new trees, regular watering is needed to help them successfully establish, especially during warmer weather in the summer months. As part of this, council contractors Gristwood and Toms water each newly planted tree, giving each tree 50 litres or 11 gallons of water per week over the summer months, helping ensure they are kept in the best health possible.
For media enquiries, please contact Justin Brown, Public Affairs Officer, on 020 8461 7872 or email justin.brown@bromley.gov.uk.