Photo below from Springfield Road campaign

Our Green Lungs

The trees that have graced our neighbourhood since the 19th century are in danger of being removed for good, if we as a community do not step in to protect them for future generations.

These trees provide so much for our urban landscape and our emotional wellbeing. From absorbing carbon dioxide, reducing air temperatures and air pollution and providing habitats for birds and insects they are the green lungs of our residential area and deserve to be cared for and preserved for future generations.

Why are we losing the trees?

In the last few years the Ditchling Rise Area has lost five trees (mostly horse chestnuts) to disease.

Our street trees are increasingly subject to a ‘perfect storm’ of pathogens: bleeding canker (Pseudomonas syringae pv. Aesculi or Phytophthora), horse chestnut leaf minor (Cameraria ohridella) and leaf blotch (Guignardia aesculi). Unfortunately there is not much that can be done to help save these trees once the disease has set in and unfortunately the trees have had to be felled. According to the arboricultural team it sadly will only be a matter of time until many of the remaining trees will be lost too. Let's not let them be lost forever and instead replace them as and when we lose them.

What happens after they have been felled?

The trees have been cut to stump level to allow the space where the tree once stood to be replaced with new trees. The BHCC arboriculture team have suffered extreme loss of funding and resources and there is now only one arboriculturalist looking after the whole city's trees. They simply do not have the funds to replace these trees.

If we want to replace street trees in Ditchling Rise, then we need fund-raise to purchase the trees. The variety being recommended is the Indian horse-chestnut (Aesculus indica), slightly smaller than the established variety we have growing in Ditchling Rise currently (Aesculus hippocastanum). We have to raise a token amount of £336 (£320 plus 5% Just giving fees) to preserve the spaces where the trees have been felled.

To plant the tree, the current tree stumps have to be removed and ground down. This is undertaken by the Highways Department. While they will undertake this work, their budgets have also been restricted, so it may take some time before they are able to prepare the planting area.

Cost to prepare planting area £2000 - £5000 – this will be covered by BHCC and Highways.

What happens next?

1. Please consider donating towards this campaign to save our green lungs in our community.

2. Once the money has been raised we will alert the arboricultural team and work with them to hopefully get the trees planted in the 2019/20 period (when our area is due for planting as part of the planned planting)

3. We will have to rally our local councillors to pursuade them and highways to prepare the planting area.

4. The arboricultural team will plant the trees once this work has been done.

5. Consideration will need to be given as to how we can protect our new saplings from damage, they are particularly prone to damage from cars, any extra funds raised will go towards these solutions,

6. Neighbours will have to commit to watering the trees to protect them from drought.

We will do everything we can to ensure the trees will be planted however if for any reason the council reneges on their promise, the funds raised will be put towards green projects in the Ditchling Rise Area as part of the Ditchling Rise Area Residents Association initiatives.