Friends of Newcastle Trees
The Newcastle tree warden scheme has now been running for over 10 years supporting the City Council in the aims and objectives outlined in the city's Tree Strategy. As a newly constituted group now called Friends of Newcastle Trees (FoNT) it is now a fully autonomous group seperate from the council with its own aims and objectives based around preserving and enhancing the tree and hedgerow cover across Newcastle upon Tyne.
Why are Trees and Hedgerows so important?
We have been given a legacy by our late Victorian and Edwardian fore fathers which is the envy of the world. The problem is that a lot of these trees are coming to the end of their lives all at once. Thankfully across the country many city and town authorities are now starting to realise this with places like Birmingham, Solihull, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Welwyn Hatfield,Northampton, Cheltenham and most of the London Borough’s all actively pursuing massive audits and open space and street replanting programmes.
In most cities and towns they define the townscape. They are our connection with mother earth and with our long prehistoric past. They are part of our genetic make-up and subconscious.
It is imperative therefore that we need to manage their decline and plant more as our legacy to future generations. We need to get away from the concept of disposable architecture where short lifespans are associated to both buildings and the landscapes. Short termism is not a legacy to leave our children. Beautiful, life enhancing landscapes can only be created, retained, enhanced and protected through long term visions and protection from short-term greed and area status bias.
Is it not strange that the character now created in new housing development copies that of existing estates yet whilst one flourishes, the other dies. They could all act together to stimulate the local economy, encourage inwards investment, maintain and increase population and increase property prices.
We would all like to;
· Make Newcastle a better place to live and work
· Make Newcastle a healthier place to live
· Provide attractive calm settings
· Strengthen our neighbourhood communities
· Moderate the city’s urban climate
· Provide valuable habitat for wildlife in the city
in order to create real sustainable communities.
And the townscape elements which do all these things are trees and hedgerows.
FoNT is supported by the Tree Council. http://www.treecouncil.org.uk/
In most cities and towns they define the townscape. They are our connection with mother earth and with our long prehistoric past. They are part of our genetic make-up and subconscious.
It is imperative therefore that we need to manage their decline and plant more as our legacy to future generations. We need to get away from the concept of disposable architecture where short lifespans are associated to both buildings and the landscapes. Short termism is not a legacy to leave our children. Beautiful, life enhancing landscapes can only be created, retained, enhanced and protected through long term visions and protection from short-term greed and area status bias.
Is it not strange that the character now created in new housing development copies that of existing estates yet whilst one flourishes, the other dies. They could all act together to stimulate the local economy, encourage inwards investment, maintain and increase population and increase property prices.
We would all like to;
· Make Newcastle a better place to live and work
· Make Newcastle a healthier place to live
· Provide attractive calm settings
· Strengthen our neighbourhood communities
· Moderate the city’s urban climate
· Provide valuable habitat for wildlife in the city
in order to create real sustainable communities.
And the townscape elements which do all these things are trees and hedgerows.
FoNT is supported by the Tree Council. http://www.treecouncil.org.uk/
