The Tree Council (National Charity based in London) has today confirmed their previously provisional agreement to pay 80% of the cost amounting £479 for 1380 hedge tree whips from Trees Please for the whole 230m perimeter in November 2020. They very kindly offered to pay for several mature trees if we are unable to source them elsewhere.

 

The Tree Council is keen to promote evidence base research into the effectiveness of trees in reducing pollution and other benefits and has now introduced ourselves and Sefton Council to a Professor at the University of Bangor, who works on aspects of Natural Capital for hedges and is keen to be involved in our project.

 

The hedge trees that we are hoping to obtain are as follows::

Crataegus monogyna 966, Prunus spinosa 299, Viburnum opulus 23, Rosa canina 23, Corylus avellana 23, Malus sylvestre 23, Acer campestre 23.

 

Our ambition with the eventual 2/3 feet high perimeter mixed wildlife friendly hedging is to create a safe environment for children and pets, habitat and food for wildlife, reducing noise and vehicle pollution by 60% (including pioneering research), and simply making the area a more natural beautiful space. Twenty Thousand Vehicles (increasing dramatically with proposed increases in the town’s population and post Brexit traffic to the docks) travel daily through the recently refurbished junction at Northway and Liverpool Road South, where Woodend is situated. Consequently, Woodend has importantly become the lungs of the area.

 

In addition, to protect the hedging and perimeter we aim to install 92m of 17 inch high bird’s mouth wooden rail fencing (similar in dimension to Kenyon’s Park, Lydiate), that will eventually be consumed by the mature hedging.

 

The national steering group for hedgerows, Hedgelink, had their first 2020 meeting last week. The Tree Council’s Trees Science and Research Project Manager, Harriet Rix, shares the topline messages and why it’s essential to consider hedgerows in the year to come. https://treecouncil.org.uk/2020-is-year-of-the-tree-but-lets-make-sure-hedgerows-dont-get-left-behind/

 

The Tree Council website is at: https://treecouncil.org.uk/