Woodland Trust, Newark and Sherwood District Council, Greenwood Community Forest and Reach Learning Disability launch data and community driven tree planting project in Hawtonville

A pioneering data-driven tree planting scheme is set to help one of Newark’s most tree-deprived areas flourish.

The Woodland Trust’s Tree Equity Score tool has identified Hawtonville as having tree cover significantly below average for urban neighbourhoods, with just 6% — compared to a regional average of 15% and national average of 19% tree cover.

Urban trees can bring many benefits — such as shade and cooling abilities during the summer and improved air quality — and over the next year partners Woodland Trust, Newark and Sherwood District Council, Reach Learning Disability, and Greenwood Community Forest are set to work with the community to identify how and where trees can be incorporated into the area.

Forest Research, the government’s scientific advisers on forestry and tree-related research, estimate that the long-term mental health benefits of street trees alone are valued at £1 billion.

Over the next year the project will aim to arrange for new trees in public parks, private gardens, and along verges. Residents, schools and community groups will be consulted and included in the process, with a view for planting to go ahead next winter.

The project was launched today (December 10) at Reach’s Newark Flower Pod, where two trees — a wild service tree and a birch tree — were planted to mark the occasion. They were chosen to develop the pod’s woodland walk, with their textured bark to offer sensory benefits for service users too.

Attendees, which included representatives of the partnership, Reach’s service users and volunteers, and representatives of other woodland charities, were also provided with leaf markers to highlight areas where more trees were needed on a giant map of Hawtonville.

Adam Cormack, head of campaigning at the Woodland Trust, said: “When you look at Newark, Hawtonville stands out as a place with not many trees.

“The benefits of this will be realised in 20 years time, and that’s one of the challenges for tree planters. We’re really working for the next generation, but if we don’t do this now there will be a generation of children who grow up here not knowing trees.

“We will talk to people and find out where people want the trees. We’re not talking thousands of trees, we’re looking at a few hundred over a couple of years.

“There only way you can do this sort of thing is through the community. The council owns the public land, but we want gardens as well as parks.

“We have to work through existing community organisations — they’re the ones here for the long term — and help them do what they want to do.”

As well as asking residents where they’d like to see new trees planted, a series of events will also be held through the year which will help educate the public about trees, and how to care for existing ones in the area.

Emma Oldham, portfolio holder for climate and the environment at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “It’s a really exciting project, it’s the first data-driven tree planting project in the district.

“We’ve already identified some streets with zero trees, and we hope to get Nottinghamshire County Council on board to support planting on verges to create those lovely tree-lined streets you don’t really see in Hawtonville.

“I think it’s going to bring real benefit, and it’s really community driven.

“We’ll be doing drop-ins for residents to raise awareness of the scheme and doing some door knocking in the summer, as well as providing ongoing support to help maintain trees which are planted in the area.

“We want to plant as many as we can, but we’re not going to turn Hawtonville into a forest. Our target overall is just to improve the tree canopy, and the impact this will have on residents.”

The project is being funded by LendLease in partnership with the Woodland Trust and is a pilot scheme testing approaches to increasing tree cover in priority urban locations, combining data from the Tree Equity Score UK with community engagement and local partnerships.

Samantha Dakin, Flower Pod Newark centre manager, added: “Flower Pod Newark is delighted to be part of the joint venture with Newark and Sherwood District Council, the Woodland Trust, and Greenwood Community Forest, providing trees within barren green space within Hawtonville.

“Our service users are really looking forward to working with the community and enhancing the environment in which many of them live.

“Next term one of our Inspire courses is going to be on the natural world, with a focus on trees and we will be holding workshops for service users to actively learn about trees.”