Council and councillors

Nick Sandford, Government Affairs Officer – Local, The Woodland Trust.

30 minutes for presentation and questions

1)            WOODLAND TRUST – Nick Sandford, Government Affairs Officer – Local, The Woodland Trust

Mr Sandford  gave a presentation on the Woodland Trust entitled “Life’s Better with Trees”; a copy of which was available on the Rutland County Council website, attached to the agenda for this meeting.  Leaflets on the Woodland Trust and Free Trees for communities and schools were made available.

Key areas highlighted included:

•         The Woodland Trust was a conservation charity formed 40 years ago in Devon (one person/one site) and now owned over 1,000 sites across the United Kingdom covering 20,000 hectares with approximately 400,000 members and active supporters.

•         The Trust owned four woods in Rutland covering 86 hectares. 

•         The Trust’s vision was for a United Kingdom rich in native trees and woods, for people and wildlife.

•         The key aims of the Trust were to enable the creation of more native woods and places rich in trees; to protect native woods, trees and their wildlife for the future and to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees.

•         That the unique range of benefits of trees, woods and forests included: health and wellbeing, water benefits, economy and sustainable communities.

•         That access to green spaces was associated with better mental and physical health across socioeconomic groups.  The Coalition Government had targeted 1 million trees to be planted across the country.

•         That people living far away from green spaces were 27% more likely to be overweight or obese. 

•         That trees enhanced mood, improved self esteem and reduced blood pressure whilst environmental volunteering including tree planting was as effective as aerobics in improving fitness, all of which could improve individual health.  The cost to the economy from physical inactivity was £8.2 billion a year.

•         Trees helped to improve water quality by up to 85%.

•         Surface water flooding – trees in appropriate places could improve flooding by 60%.

•         That woodland related activities encouraged a sense of community by getting people involved in their community and contributed to a sense of well being.

•         The Trust’s “Access to Woodland Standard” stated that everyone should have access to a wood within easy reach of their home.

•         Only 9% of people in Rutland had a small wood within walking distance (500m) of their homes.

•         That the Trust offered Community Tree Packs – 18” high trees sent through the post with instructions on how to plant (free); packs of 30 trees were available for schools and packs of 100 or 400 trees were available for parish and community groups.

•         That the current project for the Trust was The First World War Centenary Woods project the aims of which included the planting of 3 million trees and involving 1 million children by 2018.

•         The Community Woodlands Pilot (November 2015 – October 2017) looked to provide start up grants of £500 to at least 40 communities, to provide project support grants of £10,000 for at least 10 communities, to employ a Community Woodland Officer to deliver direct support, to run community training workshops and to create an online map of grant funded projects.  This would be primarily but not exclusively in the north of England.

•         That the Trust could offer advice for incorporating woodland strategies into Neighbourhood Plans.

The following points were noted:

•         That Oakham Town Council was involved with the Agincourt Grove Campaign and would be planting one tree, a 6 foot standard, encased in a metal cage with a plaque to commemorate the battle.  Application could be made to the Woodland Trust for 1 to 60 trees (whips) through Stuart Holm, Woodland Creation Advisor.

•         In response to a query as to whether the Trust got involved in the commercial side, Mr Sandford replied that the Trust was primarily involved in conservation but recognised that woods survived by being copsed/supported over a number of years.  A number of local authorities managed a large amount of woodland and looked at it commercially.  The Trust looked to put money back into conservation.

The Chair thanked Mr Sandford for his presentation.