Chichester Tree Wardens’ Mind the Gap project originated with the sense that our city was losing trees at a much faster rate than they were being planted. The financial crisis in 2008 had resulted in increasingly tightened budgets for our public and institutional landowners, and with trees not “core business” for urban property management functions, not only was new tree planting scarcely in scope for those we talked to, but trees that fell, or had to be felled, weren’t being replaced. Our landscape and environmental services were effectively being asset-stripped of decades (sometimes centuries) worth of accumulated tree growth with next to no investment in providing these services for future generations that previous generations had provided for us. Trees were being considered as costs, rather than investments, and their benefits weren’t being measured at all. An austerity tree gap was emerging and we needed Chichester to “mind the gap”.

Our first campaign to Mind the Gap took place in 2020, resulting in 70 street trees being planted, an investment of circa £23,000. We are really grateful for West Sussex County Council’s donate-a-tree scheme, through which WSCC would have contributed half that total, and to all the donors and supporters who cheered us on. Alongside the many individuals who donated money or “trees”, charity Trees for Cities contributed £2,400 (16 trees). You can read the full story here.

2021 was a quieter year in terms both of participation and donations. WSCC had raised its required donation to £200 per tree, perhaps as a result of its unexpectedly high expenditure from our efforts the year before. GoFundMe appeals were run in Parklands and for Orchard Avenue, where 6 trees and 4 trees were funded respectively. At least one extra tree was donated direct.

For 2022, we continue to invite you to “Mind the Gap” and let us know where you think is sorely in need of a tree, or perhaps a hedgerow. We will try to identify the landowner, investigate the opportunity to plant a tree, and fundraise to plant more trees. Each tree chosen will need to be the right tree for the right place (and not all places may be suitable for a tree). This year, our appeal is CITY-WIDE and we are hoping to hear from communities not included in our previous efforts. (For a map of the area we cover, please see the About section of our website.) Suggested locations should be publicly accessible.

Tell us where you'd like a tree

Complete our online form here.

Donate to our fundraising appeal

Find it on GoFundMe here.

May 2023 update: we have been unable to promote successfully our latest crowdfunder, so have closed it to new donations. (4 new street trees were donated in 2022.) If you would like to explore alternative ways to fund a tree in a specific location, or can put us in touch with potential sponsors, we would love to hear from you: info@treesinchi.org. 

See what trees have been funded where through the 2020/2021 campaigns.

You can find the list here.

Each new tree needs watering - in dry periods/throughout summer for its first 3 years after planting (up to 5 years, if our weather continues to be exceptionally dry). Find out how you can help (and what to expect for young tree maintenance generally) here.

Still to come (when time permits) ...

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