Planting

This chapter explores one of the five Strategic Objectives for tree management: tree planting. It sets out current priorities within this topic area and explores where action should be taken.

What is it?

Significant tree planting is required across the region to support an increase in canopy cover and deliver the important range of ecosystems services, habitats and benefits which trees are uniquely able to provide.

To achieve the increases in tree cover at this scale, a step-change is required both in the management of existing trees but especially in the rate of tree planting. In simple terms, rates of tree planting must be substantially increased wherever possible.

The Council cannot deliver tree planting at the scale that is required; it does not own or manage a large proportion of the total land area. This strategy sets out what the Council will do on its own land and what its role will be in working with others to facilitate change.

How does this support the vision?

Additional tree planting will help to increase canopy cover, offset anticipated losses due to disease and maturity, and improve the resilience, functionality and connectedness of the treescape. Increasing canopy cover is fundamental to the vision for the treescape, and this cannot be achieved without additional planting.

Improvements to the age structure and species diversity of the tree population, enhancement of biodiversity, and improvements to the resilience of the treescape can all be achieved through well-designed planting. Increasing tree cover, with the right trees planted in the right place, will help to increase the ecosystems services provided by trees, and benefits to people and nature. Planting in locations where existing canopy cover is particularly low will also help to improve the distribution of trees and provide more equitable public access to trees.

Poor planting practices limit the benefits provided by trees. Trees that fail, are unwelcome, or require excessive maintenance to thrive are not sustainable. But a well-designed planting scheme is an investment for the future. Delivering planting well is therefore also key to effective use of resources.

What are the Council's strategic objectives?

These are the key deliverables for the Council in this topic area:

Table 16 - Strategic Objectives for tree planting

Overall approach to planting

Local targets will be based on a data-led analysis of the capacity for planting. These will be periodically reviewed to reflect local constraints, the types of land, and current canopy cover to ensure that they are realistic and deliverable.

The target for Council land will be higher than in other places as the Council seeks to lead on this issue. It will monitor and report on progress periodically.

Planting will need to take place on both Council land and privately owned land. Whilst the Council can directly control planting on its own land, it can only influence or advise on planting in most other situations.

The Council does not realistically have the capacity or resources to deliver such ambitious planting alone and will therefore work with volunteers, local charities and other external organisations to deliver tree planting across the region.

Planting on Council land will be maximised, in consideration of other land uses. There will be a presumption in favour of growing trees on Council land wherever possible, except where this would be contrary to other important objectives, or where it would not help to deliver the vision for the treescape.

On Council land and any other land that the Council controls, it will deliver or require replacement tree planting for any tree that is removed. Replacement tree planting will normally be determined on the basis or replacement of canopy cover and/or benefits and services within a reasonable timeframe. This may mean replacing trees with more than the same number of trees in some circumstances.

The Council will take opportunities to coordinate and facilitate the delivery of tree planting by multilateral action.

Typically, tree planting requires land, funding, technical expertise, and the support or motivation to act. Bringing these together where they exist but are disaggregated will unlock planting opportunities and the Council has a leadership role in this.

Pathways for new tree planting

The Council will use, wherever possible, a range of pathways to encourage, require or deliver new tree planting. This will include but is not limited to:

(i) Maximising tree planting on Council land, including through grant funding, commuted sums and planting budgets

(ii) Working in partnership with other landowners to increase planting, including by giving advice and coordinating resources

(iii) Working with Lancashire County Council to increase street tree planting

(iv) Working with Parish Councils to increase local planting

(v) Maximising tree planting delivered through regeneration projects, especially in urban areas

(vi) Supporting increased tree planting on rural land, including by providing information to landowners on available grants

(vii) Investigating ways to encourage tree planting in residential gardens

(viii) Using the planning system to require tree planting in development

(ix) Requiring robust tree replacement for the removal of Council trees, TPO trees, and where appropriate, trees in Conservation Areas

(x) Establishing schemes for multilateral cooperation on tree planting, including through sponsorship and information sharing

(xi) Allocating tree planting budgets for annual tree planting either on Council land or in partnership with community groups

(xii) Establishing a tree planting fund that is separate from annual budgets to receive and utilise available funding streams for tree planting activity

(xiii) Providing an advisory service for private landowners who wish to plant trees on their land

(xiv) Promoting the benefits of tree planting to members of the public, including via the Council's website.

Tree planting capacity

Tree planting on Council owned land alone is not a viable solution to increasing canopy cover. Given the type of land the Council owns, a reasonable maximum canopy cover would be 40%. Because of the relatively small proportion of land under Council control, achieving this relatively high figure would only increase the overall canopy cover by a small amount, from just under 11% to approximately 12%.

The ambition of this strategy is to exceed this significantly.

The Council will use the data it generates through tree surveys, and other available datasets, to monitor canopy cover. It will map planting locations and develop a model of planting capacity that reflects local factors, and monitor progress against this.

Sharing information on canopy cover, capacity, progress and what can be achieved collectively is an important part of the Council's role in this ambition.

Where significant capacity for new planting is identified, the Council will focus on these areas by identifying the relevant stakeholders and developing ways to require, deliver or encourage planting, including in partnership where appropriate.

Tree planting will comprise a mix of small, medium, and large tree species which will provide different levels of cover at maturity. Woodland trees will also grow differently to individual street trees and so delivery of different types of tree planting will not always deliver the same canopy cover gains. However, taking an average tree size at 25 years, tree planting requirements for increases in canopy cover can be approximately calculated.

Table 17 - Tree planting and canopy cover projections

Overall, tree canopy cover across the Preston City Council area is currently 10.96%. To achieve 20% canopy cover, around half a million trees must be planted across the local authority area.

The figures above refer to the canopy cover of established trees at maturity and are not adjusted for natural failure, thinning, or the rate of delivery and growth. To achieve the increases described within 25 years, all of the trees must be planted immediately.

A more realistic planting programme would spread planting over a longer period. This would tend to delay delivery, depending on the extent to which a programme could be 'front loaded'. Spreading planting equally over 25 years would approximately double the numbers required, although this approach would significantly overshoot the target canopy cover.

Delivery in partnership

In order to maximise tree planting on Council owned land, the Council will need to extend planting to land outside of its existing parks and open green spaces.

The Council will ensure that all departments work together to identify Council land where tree planting can take place and prioritise this.

The Council will develop a tree planting strategy for its own land, which allocates parcels of Council owned land for tree planting and establishes a phasing plan for when planting will be undertaken. This will include canopy cover targets for all large Council sites such as parks.

The Council will cooperate with private landowners, organisations and individuals to find ways to increase tree planting on private land.

The Council will cooperate with Parish Councils to identify opportunities to accommodate, fund or otherwise deliver planting within their areas. It will cooperate with Lancashire County Council to find ways to deliver additional street tree planting and, where appropriate, investigate how tree planting can be delivered in rural locations, including on farmland across the northern wards.

To increase tree cover in city centre wards significant attention will need to be given to increasing street tree planting and delivering tree planting through development and urban regeneration schemes. In the rural wards to the north, there is potential to increase canopy cover through Government tree planting programs and initiatives.

The Council will support landowners to identify funding opportunities for tree planting on their land.

The primary role of the Council in facilitating planting on private land is in convening and coordinating the necessary components of successful schemes.

Bringing together the funding, land, expertise and ambition to plant trees can unlock existing opportunities, even when those do not all rest with a single party.

The Council may act in such situations as a chair, and a trusted independent authority to facilitate cooperation within the community, including by giving advice and information sharing.

Replacement tree planting

Wherever the Council can require replacement planting in the event of tree removal, it will do so.

Where the Council removes or permits the removal of one of its trees for management purposes replacement tree planting will be undertaken.

This will not apply to woodland thinning and other enhancement activities that increase benefits, or do not reduce tree canopy cover.

Planting location and species may differ from the tree that is removed, especially where a better location can be found, but replacement planting will always follow the 'right tree in the right place' principle.

It is important that replacement planting delivers the same benefits as the trees which have been removed. Therefore, one for one replacement may not be adequate when considering the removal of larger trees which provide a high level of benefits and services.

The Council will apply a replacement tree planting policy which maintains the benefits and services delivered by the treescape and help to deliver canopy cover targets.

The CAVAT system may be used in some situations to determine a financial contribution as an alternative to direct tree replacement. For example where a third party removes a tree on Council land with permission, but no nearby planting opportunities are available. Any such sums will be used for tree planting, including in partnership.

Standards and specifications

In order for new trees to survive, planting and aftercare needs to be carried out correctly.

The Council will give advice on tree planting specifications, tree pit design and aftercare. If will normally require maintenance for 5 years after a tree has been planted in accordance with BS8545.

Indicative standard details and minimum standards for planting will be developed and used by the Council including, where appropriate, external contractors that undertake tree planting on its behalf.

These standards will also be used as the basis for assessing the adequacy of planting schemes that are proposed as part of development. They will cover:

(i) Planting types (specimen tree, woodland, hedgerow etc.)

(ii) Species selection and provenance

(iii) Tree sizes and quality

(iv) Temporary support and irrigation

(v) Soil preparation and planting pit design

(vi) Minimum soil volume

(vii) Surface finishes

(viii) Aftercare and post-planting maintenance

The Council will develop a framework of costed standards for tree planting, including the cost of delivery, adoption and maintenance of a tree on Council land. If a member of the public or external organisation wishes to pay the Council to carry out tree planting on their behalf, the Council will be able to use these standards to provide consistent costings for the work.

The framework may also be used as the basis for funding planting on Council land through development, or between departments or authorities. The framework will be reviewed periodically to take account of changes in the price of plant materials, labour and equipment.

Where possible, naturally regenerating forms of planting, such as woodland, and longer-lived species or tree forms will be preferred in order to minimise future maintenance and planting costs.

Native trees will generally be used wherever habitat creation is a priority, but specimen and ornamental trees, as well as trees in gardens and in parks may include non-native species.

Naturalised species may be suitable in some woodland locations, particularly where they are already established or used to replace trees that cannot be replanted due to disease. Species selection will be judged on a case-by-case basis and the Council will advise on any species that should not be planted.

Diversity in planting schemes should be maximised. Within a scheme or a local area, no family of trees should dominate. This can result in tree populations that are more susceptible to disease. A wide diversity of genus and species will be encouraged, and single species planting schemes will not normally be considered appropriate.

Tree planting locations

Tree planting has sometimes been inappropriately located, with the right trees planted in the wrong place and vice versa. The Council will produce a tree planting strategy identifying potential locations for tree planting and outlining priorities for each ward.

Therefore, whoever ends up undertaking the planting, whether it be the Council, volunteers, community groups or external organisations, the Council can ensure that the right type of planting happens in the right place.

The tree planting strategy will take the geology, soil type and climatic conditions at each site into account, as well as the current species composition and select species to recommend or exclude accordingly.

Climate resilience will also be a key consideration in species selection. Where appropriate, natural regeneration may be considered as an option for increasing tree cover at a site.

Tree planting will be targeted to help link up existing parks and open spaces with green corridors.

Areas with lower tree cover will also be prioritised for new tree planting to improve canopy cover distribution across the local authority area, particularly where this would benefit the greatest number of people.

Whilst the Council understands that tree planting must be undertaken at a significant scale to reach canopy cover targets, it understands that there are some areas where trees should not be planted. There are a number of valuable habitats and other land where the Council may not encourage tree planting to take place.

These include:

• Sensitive habitats such as wetland, heathland and species rich grassland
• Sites with rare or protected species
• Sports pitches
• Historic sites where planting could harm heritage assets
• Some designed landscapes