At this month’s Wanstead Climate Action meeting, Redbridge Council’s Arboricultural and Horticultural Manager Peter Marshall will be explaining the work his team does to care for trees in Wanstead and across the borough
The London Borough of Redbridge is proud to be recognised as part of the Tree Cities of the World for the fifth consecutive year, with over 40,000 council-maintained trees and 128 hectares of woodland forming a vital part of our green urban landscape.
On 19 January, join Wanstead Climate Action at Wanstead House to hear from Redbridge Council’s arboricultural team for an important presentation and discussion on how we care for these trees and explore the feasibility of a pesticide-free future.
Redbridge’s arboricultural team inspects council trees on a three-year cycle to ensure their safety and health and to consider pruning works. This includes pollarding, a traditional pruning method that helps maintain large species within urban spaces and is carried out on a two- to six-year rotation.
However, some trees die due to disease, structural weakness or environmental stress. As part of our discussion at Wanstead Climate Action, we’ll be talking about tree survival, reasons for losses, tree planting and how local people can also help to improve outcomes.
The arboricultural team also manages weed maintenance. Currently, highway weeds are managed through four annual herbicide treatments. Although effective, chemical weed spraying has raised environmental concerns, prompting a 50% reduction in herbicide use in Redbridge in the last 15 years. Innovative schemes such as Pollinator Pathways have also helped further reduce herbicide use. Under the scheme, neighbours can join together to adopt tree pits on their street, eliminating the need for chemical weed spraying on their street entirely. This is just one example of how residents can play a vital role in tree care. Our newly planted street trees also carry blue labels inviting neighbours to water them. These simple actions help young trees thrive and help boost biodiversity in our borough.
Redbridge has planted over 50,000 new trees in the past six years, with a further 6,000 planned this winter. These trees are critical for climate resilience and biodiversity. They absorb carbon, reduce urban heat, improve air quality and create habitats for pollinators and wildlife, helping us meet canopy cover and sustainability goals.
The borough is also home to remarkable heritage trees, including the veteran Sweet Chestnuts on George Green as shown here, a living link to Wanstead’s history and a symbol of resilience. Preserving such trees is as important as planting new ones, so join me at Wanstead Climate Action’s January meeting to find out more about the importance of our trees and what we can do together to help protect them.
Peter’s presentation will take place on 19 January from 7.30pm at Wanstead House, 21 The Green, E11 2NT. For more information, visit wnstd.com/climate
For more information on council trees, adopting a tree pit and Pollinator Pathways, visit wnstd.com/trees
