Welcome to the Stapleford Tree Project Webpage.
Local people planting and protecting trees in Stapleford, for today and for tomorrow.
The Stapleford Tree Project Working Party is an advisory group which will report to the Parish Council. Its terms of reference were adopted in April 2024. The Parish Council has assisted with a small sum of money to provide information leaflets and will be asked to support the Working Party in making appropriate bids to acquire funding for specific Parish Council-approved tree planting projects.
Project aims
- To identify, protect and preserve existing trees of particular value to the community.
- To care for, and improve the condition and resilience of, all of our trees in the village.
- To work with the Parish, County and District Councils to identify areas of council land where new trees could be planted and work with them to ensure the planting and care of these trees (planting will only take place with landowners’ permission).
- To encourage village landowners/residents to increase the planting of trees on their land, particularly with regard to native species, and to support them in doing so.
Context
In recent years, Stapleford has lost an increasing number of trees, both from private properties and from council land. This has been due to age, disease, weather, development and other factors. Often trees have not been replaced. We need to ascertain why this is and how we can support planting new trees and preserving existing ones. Cambridgeshire County Council recognise the importance of this and approved an ‘Interim Tree and Woodland Strategy’ in October 2022. In it, they detail the importance of increasing the number of trees across South Cambridgeshire:
“The benefits of well planned, well managed trees, woodland and hedges are many. From removing carbon from the atmosphere, contributing to our net zero ambitions for tackling climate change. They encourage and support biodiversity, provide opportunities for people to connect with nature and as a result improve the health and wellbeing of our residents.” (p5)
What are we doing?
- We are asking village residents if they would like us to support them in planting trees in their gardens. We aim to provide small saplings starting in October 2024, and give some advice about planting and caring for them. If residents wish to source more mature trees and/or choose from a wider selection than we can offer, they can still register with the project but will have to purchase these themselves. Please register here (questions take only 5 minutes to answer).
- We are also looking for people to get involved in planting and caring for trees on public land, and you can also register your interest on this form.
- Funding for the project will be obtained via grants and/or donations.
To find out more, keep a watchful eye on this webpage as it evolves, visit our stall at the Village Show and look out for our household fliers. Children will hear about the Project at school. Stapleford Granary’s new Discovery Room (opening July 2024) will be supporting the Project, with information about tree planting and the local environment forming part of the hands-on exhibition.
Identifying, protecting and preserving existing trees of particular value to the community
We also want to work with residents/owners to place tree preservation orders (TPOs) on a number of trees of community value around the village. You will be able to tell the Project which trees in the village are important to you and which you would be sorry to lose. At the top of this webpage are photos of just some of the larger mature trees which contribute greatly to village amenity.
Frequently asked questions
Click here to download quick answers to common questions.
