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Urban tree and woodland plan

Published: 16/03/2018

Flintshire’s Cabinet will be asked to agree an Urban Tree and Woodland Plan when it meets next on 20 March. One of the Council’s five key priorities is to be a Green Council, enhancing the natural environment and promoting access to green spaces. The plan also fits well with the Welsh Government’s Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 which places responsibility to maintain and enhance biodiversity and ecological resilience on local authorities. Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Countryside, Councillor Carolyn Thomas, said: “The environmental benefits that urban trees and woodlands provide are numerous and diverse. They capture pollutants in the air and provide fresh oxygen, they give shade and habitat and have a positive effect on our mental and physical health. “The planting and sustainable management of urban trees clearly meets our statutory duties but more importantly meets our aspirations to enhance our natural environment and this plan provides a method for managing trees and woodlands more sustainably.” The plan will last for 15 years and is the same length of time as that used for the emerging Flintshire Local Development Plan. Whilst it is a short period in terms of a tree’s lifespan, it is sufficiently long enough for planted trees to become established and for their contribution to the urban landscape to be recognised.