Lib Dems take action on tree planting in Brentwood

Cllr Philip Mynott has tabled the following motion to increase tree cover in Brentwood. it will be seconded by Cllr Barry Aspinell:

The Committee on Climate Change states that the UK needs 50 million new trees per year to hit net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This equates to 32,000 hectares net woodland increase annually for the next 30 years.

Several councils have already undertaken to double the existing tree cover within their districts. If Brentwood is prepared to do its part, taking the size of Brentwood Borough as a percentage of the UK as whole, the Committee on Climate Change figures would equate to 600 hectares of new tree cover.

Without committing to specific targets at this stage, we therefore propose that Brentwood quickly move to develop a proper strategy for new tree planting - in part drawing on the strategies adopted by other authorities which have already taken up this challenge. This must result in proposals for Brentwood on a scale appropriate to the scale of the challenges facing us as a borough, a nation and a species. This strategy should not only address climate change. It should look at increasing protection to existing trees, increasing biodiversity, better enabling residents to connect with the natural environment, reducing levels of air pollution, and decreasing the existing flood risks.