Warlingham Parish Council Tree Working Group was set up in July 2021 under the auspices of the Parish Council. The group encompasses tree warden activities and other promotional work for our cherished treescape.

By end of 2021, we:

• Produced a leaflet “Ash dieback: the facts” with authoritative information from The Tree Council. 400 copies were produced, available at the community library. Further copies are downloadable from local sites including Warlingham Parish Council website, Warlingham and District Horticultural website.
  
  

• Ran a LANTRA Basic Tree Inspection course locally. 12 people from Chelsham, Farleigh and Warlingham were trained and certified at the end October at a locally arranged course. This enabled people to support the work of local tree officers and have a basic accredited level of knowledge; and for a course to be run locally at half the cost of commercial courses.
  
  

• Planted a copse of 30 trees on common land. Provided by the Queen’s platinum jubilee fund, 9 volunteers planted a mix of wild cherry, rowan and silver birch saplings on common land. To date 25 are doing well, together with three donated specimen trees showing what the trees will be like when mature. Mulch was kindly donated by Surrey County Council.

Our current priorities are:

• A tree planting plan for the parish, identifying areas suitable for tree planting across the area, including a long term management plan for the lime trees of Warlingham Green.
  
  

• Raising awareness of local trees, through Tree Walks to highlight the valued treescape of the village, and digital stories of favourite trees. A page on the Parish Council Website includes the first two uploaded images and brief text.
  
  

• Local nursery for local trees identification and development, so we can source biosecure and locally adapted trees in the future.
  
  
• One of our working group members, Marion Havard arranged for the planting of two oaks [quercus robus] in All Saints churchyard on 14 May by Dame Judi Dench and the Lord Bishop of Southwark. Rick Edwards and Grace Kempster ran a Tree stall with a tree identification quiz and prizes.

'Dame Judi Dench enjoying her oak tree.'

EVENTS