Page under development March/April 2025

Hedgerow Planting 2025

On Monday 20th January 2025 we learnt that the Woodland Trust was looking for more applicants for its Free Trees for Schools and Communities scheme. Baby trees would be delivered last week of February/first week of March and applications had to be submitted the same week (no later than 26th January)!

A whirlwind of a week followed, in which a potential site for a new hedgerow was confirmed at the north end of Sherborne Road, Parklands, beside Otter Close and St Paul's Road. All conversations about the principle and practicalities were positive and we were able to submit our application on Friday 24th January.

 As explained in our application for the Woodland Trust trees, "to improve:

• public amenity (St Paul’s Road is a busy road) - visual, scent, wildlife, air quality, potentially small noise screening impact;
• biodiversity/wildlife - food/shelter/connectivity;
• public engagement (possibility that hedgerow screening may encourage greater use of greenspace, particularly if it helps absorb water; plus community cohesion through planting and care for the new hedge);
• visual reinforcement/softening of bund landowner created in 2024 as part of a city-wide response to traveller behaviours."

We requested the following Tree Packs:

• Year Round Colour (105 trees)

          a mixture of hawthorn, silver birch, rowan, wild cherry and dogwood offering blossom, berries, leaf and bark colour throughout the year;

• Wild Wood (420 trees)

           a hardy native species mix of downy birch, hawthorn, hazel and goat willow suitable for an exposed site and to help dry up areas where water collects easily;

• Urban Tree (3 x 15 trees)

          a handful each of crab apple, rowan and silver birch intended for other urban spaces in the Parklands community.

Pre-application:

• Monday 20th January - contacted Hyde to ask if any of their land might benefit from planting a new hedgerow or small copse. (Hyde is the social housing provider that took over the original Council estate land, through its acquisition of Martlet Homes.)
• Wednesday 22nd January - Hyde offered this site for planting beside the bund. It is one with which we were already reasonably familiar and knew people living nearby.
• Undertook a site visit to understand issues, including ground conditions, and sound out local residents for sensitivities and support.
• Approached nearby Chichester Baptist Church who agreed to receive delivery of the trees, as we couldn't envisage what space we would need to store them between delivery and planting.
• Considered how many trees we might need and concluded, in the circumstances, it appropriate to request more rather than less, having identified individuals willing to care for any surplus trees in temporary locations over the summer, ready for autumn planting.

We were able to submit our application form on Friday 24th January, and learnt on Tuesday 4th February that we had been successful.

With delivery expected between 24th February to 7th March, plans needed to be put in place:

• checking records of utility runs;
• working out ground preparation;
• sourcing stakes and tree guards;
• preparing a Risk Assessment;
• recruiting volunteers to help plant.

The West Sussex Tree Warden Network is co-ordinated by the County Arboriculturist at West Sussex County Council, who was able to support with utility records and advice, including talking through Risk Assessment. His experience was also useful in understanding how long planting might take and the tools needed. Chichester District Council offered surplus canes and tree guards left over from previous projects with no intended future use. We considered a public invitation to help plant (and mentioned the opportunity in passing on social media) but decided that a Working Party of up to 10 would be easier to manage, given timing and our own inexperience.

The trees were delivered to Chichester Baptist Church on Monday 3rd and ... March. We found that we were able to transport and store them easily, so they went home with 2 local volunteer Tree Wardens. They were cell grown, so came with plugs of soil, root balls wrapped in plastic to retain moisture in bundles of 5 or 15. The packs included instructions for care and for planting.

On Wednesday 5th March, volunteers experimented with turf stripping and concluded it would be much more time consuming than previously thought, as well as physically hard work on soggy ground. Thankfully, Beaver Tool Hire and Chichester City Council agreed to help on short notice: Beaver loaning us a turf stripper to use for the job, CCC the grounds staff to use it.

Planting week: Monday 10th to Saturday 15th March

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Wednesday 12th March, 8.30-10.30am: 7 volunteers stripped cut turf, worked out a planting system and planted 117 trees alongside the bund by St Paul's Road.

Thursday 13th March: 9.30am-noon/1.15pm: up to 6 volunteers completed planting alongside the St Paul's Road bund (+33 trees); stripped turf and completed planting the lower hedge run beside the bund at Otter Close (69 trees); and made a start on the upper hedge run at Otter Close (27 trees).

The final 26 trees were planted by 3/4 volunteers on the morning of Saturday 15th March to complete the upper hedge run at Otter Close (53 trees).

In total we planted 272 baby trees.

Discussions subsequently took place about how best to use the remaining trees within the terms of the Woodland Trust grant. With a prolonged period of no rain and an exceptionally hot March, it was decided to delay planting until the autumn, giving us time to work up a proper plan. On Wednesday 2nd April they were taken to be over-summered in a volunteer's garden.

Mulching week: Thursday 10th to Sunday 13th April

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Details to be added ...

• Hyde
• The Woodland Trust
• Chichester Baptist Church
• West Sussex County Council - WS Tree Warden Network Co-Ordinator and tree officer
• Chichester District Council
• Beaver Tool Hire
• Chichester City Council
• Broadleaf Tree Services
• volunteers with Parklands Residents' Association.

Amy, Jenny, John, Jordan, Lynne, Paula, Pauline, Rebecca, Sophie, Tom.