In 2021, Rother District Council (RDC) published its comprehensive ‘Urban Forest 1066’ report on the structure and composition of its urban forest. A key finding was that the wider area of Bexhill-on-Sea has tree canopy cover of 16% , however the urban centre has only 13%. This 1 cover is not evenly distributed and is below the 15% recommended as a minimum for coastal towns.
It is worth noting that tree coverage is recognised ‘as most valuable when close to and part of the places we live, work and play.’ The task ahead is two-fold – to increase the total tree canopy cover, whilst evening its extent by raising the minimum level in any given ward and ensuring equitable tree cover. Despite low canopy coverage, Bexhill-on-Sea’s current tree population (public and private) already shows a good level of diversity which provides a good base upon which to make species selection decisions.
