December 22, 2011
HUNDREDS of new trees have been planted by Eastbourne
Borough Council’s tree management team during a busy 12 month period.
The team has inspected an incredible 2,500 trees for
Dutch Elm Disease in its on-going work to protect and preserve the town’s urban
tree population.
Meanwhile, the team has delivered a major boost to the
local tree surgery sector by awarding 500 separate tender contracts, helping to
achieve the best possible value and ensuring all money spent on tree care
remains in the local economy.
The council carefully manages its tree stock to ensure
Eastbourne’s leafy environment continues to flourish, with a dedicated team of
professional officers all of whom have been involved in tree care throughout
their careers.
Eastbourne is one of only four local authorities on
the South Coast that has been actively controlling the spread of Dutch Elm
Disease, and the team are using this experience to continue to monitor for all
threats to the tree stock.
This proactive management not only ensures diseases
such as Dutch Elm Disease are prevented from spreading throughout the town but
is also the most cost effective management technique, reducing complaints and
damage due to high winds.
Cllr Steve Wallis, the council’s portfolio holder for
the environment, said: “Our tree population plays a vital part in the quality
of life enjoyed by residents of Eastbourne and so the work of our dedicated arboricultural
tree management team is crucial.
“This work is an example of the long term commitment
the council has to the sustainability of Eastbourne, both by safeguarding our
environment and investing in the local economy.
“We are leading the way in our response to Government
guidance on the significant risk from tree diseases and pests.”
There are times when a tree needs to be removed in the
interest of safety or efficient disease control and therefore replacement
planting is vital.
The tree management team has promoted tree planting
throughout the community, utilising species that are not known to be under
threat from pest and disease, and have planted 1,600 new trees, funded through
partnership working, in the last seven years, creating a mixed age and species
urban forest, resilient to pest and disease outbreaks.
Eastbourne has an extensive urban tree population:
- 40% of
local trees are on public land
- 7,199
trees are located on the town’s roads
- 2,849
trees are in parks and open spaces in addition to
- There are
19 hectares of woodland in Hampden Park
- There are
88 hectares of downland woodland with the remaining 60% of the urban tree
cover in private gardens and land
