The Woodland Trust has analysed the number of trees in towns and cities, along with population density, air pollution and social factors like health inequalities and deprivation, creating a list of "tree deserts" across the UK.
Clacton-on-Sea, Essex came out as the worst-performing town in England, with almost all of its population in areas with critically-low "tree equity".
In response, the local council for the Essex town said the "tree desert" label did not "reflect the reality on the ground".
The best-performing towns and cities in the rankings included Winchester in Hampshire, Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent, and St Albans in Hertfordshire.
"These new figures reveal an injustice that is silently affecting the health of millions of people," said Caroline Gray, Woodland Trust tree equity programme officer.
"More than a million people in the UK are living in these tree deserts, places of critically low tree equity where communities are missing out on the many benefits trees provide.
"That can mean hotter homes and streets, dirtier air, higher rates of asthma and heart disease, and poorer physical and mental health."
The trust also said Holyhead in North Wales and Omagh in Northern Ireland both had entire populations living with a lack of critical urban tree cover.
The Woodland Trust wants more trees planted, as well as stronger protection of existing urban trees.
"We need to stop seeing a tree as this nice leafy thing that's a nice thing to have, and we need to start seeing them as critical green infrastructure," in the same way as traffic lights and utilities, Gray explained.
Tendring District Council in Essex said it recognised the trust's research, but said the charity's methodology was based "heavily on canopy cover" without "identifying specific locations or fully accounting for the extensive planting and investment" being delivered.
A spokesperson said 40,000 trees had been planted in recent years in Tendring, including 1,500 by the council in "our open spaces".
"Many of these trees are still relatively young, meaning their full canopy and environmental benefits will continue to develop over time," the council said.
Last week, the government announced grant funding worth up to £6.5m, to help researchers, nurseries and seed suppliers "strengthen England's tree production".
New research proves immense benefits of trees and woodlands for people’s wellbeing - read it here
"More than a million people in the UK are living in these tree deserts, places of critically low tree equity where communities are missing out on the many benefits trees provide.
"That can mean hotter homes and streets, dirtier air, higher rates of asthma and heart disease, and poorer physical and mental health."
The trust also said Holyhead in North Wales and Omagh in Northern Ireland both had entire populations living with a lack of critical urban tree cover.
The Woodland Trust wants more trees planted, as well as stronger protection of existing urban trees.
"We need to stop seeing a tree as this nice leafy thing that's a nice thing to have, and we need to start seeing them as critical green infrastructure," in the same way as traffic lights and utilities, Gray explained.
Tendring District Council in Essex said it recognised the trust's research, but said the charity's methodology was based "heavily on canopy cover" without "identifying specific locations or fully accounting for the extensive planting and investment" being delivered.
A spokesperson said 40,000 trees had been planted in recent years in Tendring, including 1,500 by the council in "our open spaces".
"Many of these trees are still relatively young, meaning their full canopy and environmental benefits will continue to develop over time," the council said.
Last week, the government announced grant funding worth up to £6.5m, to help researchers, nurseries and seed suppliers "strengthen England's tree production".
Above words and image from article seen here
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The Mighty Oak Tree and Acorns For Food - read it hereAs always many thanks for taking time to visit and read this blog. Do you like trees, do you have a lot of them in your neighbourhood? Please share your thoughts about this post/article in the comments section below, and most importantly ... enjoy your day.
All the best Jan
21 comments:
The Woodland Trust Charity and Details can be found here:-
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/
All the best Jan
Interessante post e tema para ler ! beijos, chica
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing this, Jan!
This is so interesting! I think trees are good for mental health as well. They make me feel relaxed and cozy.
I love trees - think of the history they have all lived though.
That's interesting. We're so fortunate to be surrounded by very tall evergreens but who knows how long until they go ( they are not on our lot).
Sad it came to that, good they do something about it!
I have known my whole life that trees are necessary, yet still whole blocks get razed to build wall-to-wall townhouses, with not a tree in sight, not even a small grassy patch.
We are lucky enough to live in a tree-rich environment. I certainly appreciate the benefits of trees.
That's right, that's what's being said and discussed. Two or three days ago I read that Morocco had halted desertification in some of its lands by planting a massive amount of trees. There are other countries doing this too, and I think it's essential for everyone.
Regards.
Well I did not know that. That was so interesting and makes sense when you think about it. Thanks for sharing............
Here we have in our Region great problems with the woods too, with the trees. We need urgent more Rain.
Thank you for sharing at MosaicMonday
Greetings by Heidrun
Sadly, we have a neighbor who cut all his trees down. Thank you for this post.
Carla
That's really interesting. I do love to be surrounded by trees. When we lived in Alaska, we lived in the woods and I loved that! But our Inupiaq friends sometimes felt claustrophobic surrounded by the trees because the village where they lived is above the arctic circle and has no trees.
Boa noite Jan. No meu quintal, já teve várias árvores. Mais no entorno dele, temos várias árvores frutíferas. Uma excelente quarta-feira e um grande abraço do seu amigo carioca.
They are so very important :-D
...life without trees is mighty bleak!
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chica
Interessante post e tema para ler ! beijos, chica
Interesting post and topic to read! Kisses, Chica
Luiz Gomes
Boa noite Jan. No meu quintal, já teve várias árvores. Mais no entorno dele, temos várias árvores frutíferas. Uma excelente quarta-feira e um grande abraço do seu amigo carioca.
Good evening Jan. In my backyard, there used to be several trees. Around it, we have several fruit trees. Have a great Wednesday and a big hug from your friend from Rio
We have some bushes that I like but hubby doesn't and wants to get rid of, this is a good thing for me to tell him that we need to keep them :)
I love trees, I'd like a bigger garden so I could have more.
Interesting! Who doesn't love a tree. X
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