About Us
Havant Borough Tree Wardens are a local group of volunteers that form part of the Tree Councils national Tree Warden Scheme. Support comes from the National Grid, government Communities department and Havant Borough Council.
The Tree Council
The lead tree campaigning charity, an umbrella body for over 150 UK organisations working together to promote the importance of trees within the changing environment. Working together:
• for more trees, of the right kind in the right places
• for better care for all trees, of all ages and
• to inspire effective action for trees
Its goal is to make “Trees matter to everyone”.
Tree Warden Scheme
Fundamental to this, is The Tree Council’s Tree Warden Scheme:
• national initiative to enable people to play an active role in
conserving and enhancing their local trees and woods
• run in partnership with National Grid and supported by
the Government’s Cleaner, Safer, Greener initiative
• set up in 1987 and now has about 8,500 Tree Wardens
volunteering in 135 networks
Why are Tree Wardens needed ?
Trees are a precious part of our natural heritage and we need to take action now if future generations are to enjoy the beauty and variety of our landscapes. To be most effective, this action should be taken by local people who have most to gain from the protection and enhancement of their immediate environment.
Who are Tree Wardens ?
• Volunteers with a passion for trees
• Residents dedicated to their
communities’ trees
What do Tree Wardens do ?
• Plant and care for trees and encourage others to value them
by giving guided tree walks, talks to local groups and involving
schools and youth groups
• Protect Trees by acting as the eyes and ears for trees in their
communities and informing the local council of threats to trees
• Gather information and doing surveys of local trees
• Devote 2 million volunteer hours a year to the UK’s trees
• Tree wardens in Emsworth have put together a ‘tree trail’ which
acts as a guide to some of the best examples of trees in the
Emsworth area. Waterlooville tree wardens are in the process
of creating a similar project.
How the Scheme works
Tree Wardens are not tree experts but are enthusiastic to learn about trees and protect them. The Tree Council provides each Tree Warden with a Handbook, a set of books on tree related topics and the quarterly ‘Tree Guardian’ newsletter. Training courses cover topics such as Summer and Winter Tree Identification, Tree Planting and Aftercare, Woodland Management, Surveying Woodland, Recording Veteran Trees, Tree Preservation Orders, and Trees and Development.
Havant Borough Tree Wardens
• Originally set up in 1995
• Re-established by HBC’s Tree Officer in 2006
• HBC awarded plaque to honour 10 years’ commitment to the Tree Council’s Tree Warden Scheme at Houses of Parliament on
29 November 2006
• Plaque proudly sits on a pillar in the reception area of HBC’s Civic Offices
• Tree Wardens in Bedhampton, Havant, Leigh Park, Hayling Island, Waterlooville and Emsworth
Posted: September 17, 2008
Last updated: September 28, 2008