You may have heard that Southwark Council planted 10,000 trees over the past year, as part of the plan to make the borough more green and get to carbon neutrality by 2030.
If elected next week, Labour say they will plant another 20,000. The Liberal Democrats say they will plant no fewer than 100,000. This all sounds great – who doesn’t want more trees on their streets and in their parks?
But the story doesn’t end with planting – in fact that’s just the beginning of the challenge. Trees have to be watered a lot and looked after once they are put in the ground in order to stay alive. In Southwark, that is the job of the contractor.
They have to water trees seventeen times in both of the first two years after they are planted according to a schedule with the council that specifies how many visits have to take place each month, as well as clearing weeds and mulch twice, in April and September. That drops to sixteen times in the third year, after which they no longer have to water the trees.
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If a tree they plant dies within three years of going in the ground, the contractor has to replace it. Southwark says 95 per cent of its new trees survive this period, that caring for its trees is a priority, and that its care plan meets the highest standards.
But Sarah Vaughan, part of the Trees for Bermondsey community group that monitors trees in the north of the borough, said there were several problems with the council’s plan. Firstly, the trees planted this year were put in the ground too late – in March – when they should have been planted in autumn, which would give them time to bed in before the ground gets too dry.
It is unclear why the trees were planted so late – a possible reason could be that tree planting is so politically popular and demand on nursery tree stocks outstrips supply.
Despite the apparent high success rate of new trees planted by the council, there have been several recent failures. Ms Vaughan pointed to two new trees planted in Bermondsey’s Spa Gardens last year, one of which died, as well as some that died on Weston Street, also in Bermondsey, and some trees that failed in Burgess Park.
For Ms Vaughan, this is also evidence that the trees are not being watered enough. She said that there are also sometimes problems with the planting methods themselves, with trees being put in too deep in their tree pit.
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Ms Vaughan added that trees “could really benefit from some TLC” after they have been planted, which could mean watering for five years or longer after they go in the ground.
“And even if trees do survive for three years, are they thriving?” she asked. “Trees can be very hardy, they can struggle on for years and years before dying. The key question is ‘are they getting established?’ It’s extremely difficult to thrive in an urban environment.”
It’s not an easy job for contractors: there are real challenges with watering trees in a city park, like water supply, which is not readily available in every location where trees have been planted. That means contractors have to bring portable water supplies with them.
Planting trees in Bermondsey and Rotherhithe also has a particular cultural and political significance. Any tree-planting programme in the north-east of the borough harks back to Bermondsey’s former socialist mayor Ada Salter and her transformative tree-planting ‘beautification’ scheme in the 1920s.
Local politicians have not been shy of using tree-planting as a photo opportunity. Labour council leader Kieron Williams was photographed, shovel in hand, planting a tree in Leathermarket Gardens earlier this year. Ms Vaughan pointed out online that this tree was struggling for lack of watering recently.
And planting trees is harder now than it was in Ada’s day. The soil is more compacted, there are wires and cables possibly blocking tree roots – and no horses on the streets to provide nutrition-giving manure.
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Ms Vaughan said this was far from being a Southwark-specific issue, and that some “really interesting” trees have been planted, like persimmon, strawberry and pomegranate in St James’ churchyard.
Robert Hutchinson, a Bermondsey resident and Green Party candidate in the upcoming local elections, said he did not want to discourage the council from planting trees, but the care plan needed to be more rigorous. He said that of the five Weston Street trees planted in March, two had already died.
Southwark Council said that its tree care plan was good and asked anyone who sees a tree that needs extra care to get in touch.
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A spokesperson said: “Caring for Southwark’s trees is a priority for us. This is why we have planted ten thousand trees in the last year. It is also why we introduced a three year care plan that meets best practice standards for these, and all new trees that are planted in Southwark. Our contractors are working on this plan, with us.
“We monitor this work to ensure that Southwark’s new trees are properly cared for. We can also increase watering if we experience drought conditions in the summer. If a tree dies during its first three years, our contractors will replace it and pay for the new tree.
“Watering trees during the growing season for the first three years, is known to help trees to establish themselves and thrive in their new location. Our plan sees that new trees are watered two to four times a month from April to August. With a final check-up and watering before the end of the season in September.
“If people have concerns about a new tree on public land, we invite them to let us know at: trees.envl@southwark.gov.uk ”