Initiative to reduce impact of Ash dieback and help with climate crisis

Town and parish councils across Devon are being encouraged to dig in and join a tree planting initiative to reduce the impact of Ash dieback and help tackle the climate emergency.

Devon County Council is calling on local councils to help plant trees on town and parish-owned land across the county.

At its series of town and parish council highway conferences, which resume later this week, the authority will be reminding people of the 3:2:1 tree planting rule being promoted by the Devon Ash Dieback Resilience Forum.

This aims to plant at least three new trees for every large one lost, two for every medium sized one, and one for each small one.

The first of this year's town and parish conferences will be held on Friday (4 October) at the Kenn Centre in Kennford.

Further events will be held on Monday 7 October at Filleigh Village Hall, Thursday 10 October at Rattery Village Hall and Tuesday 15 October at the Clinton Hall in Merton.

All of the conferences will run from 10am to 1pm.

There will also be an opportunity at the conferences to find out more about managing verges for wildlife, and the County Council's highway neighbourhood officers and civil parking enforcement team will be on hand.

Information will also be available on the roadwork permit scheme which Devon County Council is aiming to introduce next year to meet the Department for Transport's new directive.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: "Towns and parishes have made a huge difference in recent years in their communities by taking on some of the work which supports the County Council's work in maintaining our highway network.

"These parish conferences have helped us establish successful partnerships through Community Road Wardens, Snow Wardens and P3 schemes and hopefully we can work together on tree planting in the county.

"Local towns and parishes can play a vital role in joining our collective effort to plant more trees across Devon."

Devon County Council and the Devon Ash Dieback Resilience Forum are encouraging people to make use of the planting schemes offered by The Woodland Trust.

Free tree packs are available for schools and communities, while landowners looking to plant more than 500 trees can access grants and funding schemes through the conservation charity. Find out more at The Woodland Trust.

For more information, advice and support about Ash dieback in Devon, including advice on appropriate tree selection to replace ash trees, engaging a contractor, and a farmers information sheet, visit the Devon Ash Dieback Resilience Forum website.

Anyone interested in attending any of the town and parish council highway conferences should email [email protected].