Location: Bexhill-on-Sea, England
Treeconomics and project partners completed a comprehensive ‘Urban Forest 1066’ Urban Forest Asset Valuation on the structure and composition of Bexhill’s urban forest. A key finding was that the wider area of Bexhill-on-Sea has tree canopy cover of 16%, falling to 13% in the urban centre. This cover is not evenly distributed and is below the 15% recommended as a minimum for coastal towns by Forest Research.
RDC subsequently commissioned Treeconomics to deliver a Tree Planting Strategy to enable a cohesive and comprehensive approach to tree planting in Bexhill. The aim was to improve tree cover and maximise the delivery of tree benefits through a long-term programme of tree planting and establishment.
The report identifies where new planting could take place, prioritised according to the potential for greatest impact. This was achieved using agreed parameters based on air pollution, flood risk, deprivation, population density and existing tree cover, to determine a set of hotspots where new trees could deliver the most benefits.
Within the urban area of Bexhill, all soft landscapes (including farmland) where a tree ‘could’ be planted was considered potential plantable space, covering some 650 hectares; actual plantable space (removing farmland and residential gardens) amounts to a tenth of this at 65 hectares with significant areas of small plots such as roadside verges.
Community planting projects were identified for 13 separate locations, with three of those being completed during the following planting season.
That all the people and communities of Bexhill have easy access to the health, nature, and climate benefits of trees and that Bexhill’s urban forest continues to grow and thrive as a robust, resilient, living asset.
Using this data, East Sussex County Council’s street tree programme successfully sought funding from the Urban Tree Challenge Fund for some 225 trees. In tandem, Trees for Cities successfully secured funding from the same source to plant and establish about 350 street trees on highway verges in partnership with East Sussex County Council.
The strategy included a policy review, which identified the core ‘hooks’ for tree planting and management within international and national policy, through to Rother District Council’s local policies and guidance.
Articulating these linkages proved instrumental within the successful funding applications made.
In summary, Bexhill’s Tree Planting Strategy has helped to identify areas where tree planting will deliver the greatest value, by prioritising those areas where it will have the largest benefit. Furthermore, it has guided the user on tree species selection based on suitability for local environmental conditions, as well as ecological and cultural value.
Finally, the report acted as a resource for engaging stakeholders and the community in tree planting and maintenance efforts, promoting stewardship and increasing public awareness of the benefits of trees.
Download the report here.
Treeconomics is the go-to organisation for the valuing of trees in towns and cities. We specialise in all aspects of urban forest management and offer a range of services, from canopy cover assessments through to comprehensive management plans.
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