Initial findings

The Tree Council is a national charity which sees itself as a “coalition body for a diverse range of organisations … getting more trees, of the right kind, in the right places; better care for all trees of all ages and inspiring effective action for trees.” In particular they coordinate the national Tree Warden Scheme.

We are lucky to have Tree Warden groups in both Reading and Wokingham. If you want to get involved with local trees in any way, these are early ports of call. The Reading wardens’ Facebook pages reveal an active group, working on planting, care and protection.

The Tree Council is also into hedges and chairs the Hedgelink coalition, which promotes hedgerows. Lacking land to afforest, hedges may play a significant role in Reading’s 2020-25 Climate Strategy.

The other organisations in Reading Tree Wardens’ Useful Links page are worth a look. They include:

• Nature Nurture which seeks to teach children about the natural world. It is based in Reading and appears to be most active here.

• The Woodland Trust, a major charity which plants, protects and restores woodlands on a large scale nationwide. Start looking there if you prefer to fund action rather than take it yourself.

The Conservation Volunteers occasionally run a local tree planting day. though most of their work is other environmental activity. They frequently clear overgrown areas, and this begs the question of what happens to the valuable organic carbon that they clear. We hope that is it captured in some way (biochar, mulch, wooden artefacts, …) rather than sent straight back to the air (burning, rotting, …). Investigation is needed.

Online searches can find many other tree-related organisations, national and international, all eager for donations. One must assess them carefully, particularly on their goals and their capacity to store or preserve carbon in plants and soils.