Thank you to the volunteers who planted over 80 trees and shrubs in Saltford today, along with wildflower seed balls too. ‘The Shallows Ecology Zone’ was established following damage to the vegetation caused by indiscriminate forced access to the river, and today’s project helped address this as well as it being a great opportunity to plant more trees in Saltford too.
At what was an environment favoured by otters, swans and many other elements of river wildlife, in recent years there has been significant destruction of key wildlife habitat by people ‘forcing through’ vegetation to access the river in Saltford. Many residents had raised their concerns about this damage as well as general mistreatment of this area to the Parish Council’s attention during recent years.
For more information about the wildlife in this area that have been affected, please visit the nearby Saltford Brass Mill’s website for a video of otters at the Brass Mill (close to where planting has taken place) as well as the Saltford Brass Mill’s page ‘Wildlife at Saltford Brass Mill – insects, birds and otters’. The Saltford Environment Group has further information about wildlife in Saltford.
To aid regrowth and help the environment and wildlife at this location, SPC and B&NES Council carried out a joint project in 2021 to install wooden bollards to prevent further damage. Unfortunately the destruction to the vegetation had been so extensive that the area did not see the re-growth hoped, and further damage to trees and shrubs was continuing to occur. In liaison with B&NES Council (who own the land) SPC resolved at a meeting last year to carry out a community project at this location to re-wild the area to benefit wildlife and to return the natural environment to how it was. It was also viewed as an opportunity to plant more trees in Saltford.
On the morning of Saturday 11 March, over 80 trees and shrubs were planted by a group of nearby residents, alongside the B&NES Tree and Woodland Delivery Manager, SPC Cllr (and SPC’s Environment Lead) Phil Harding and Saltford’s B&NES Ward Cllr Duncan Hounsell. Dozens of Bee Bomb seed balls were also planted, each containing 18 species of native wildflowers. The trees and shrubs have surrounds (plastic ones will be reused in the future) and B&NES Council will add mulch and protect the area by installing a chestnut paling fence next week. Once established, the area will be a fantastic habitat for local wildlife as well as being aesthetically pleasing with lots of native trees, shrubs and flowers to enjoy.
SPC is pleased to share that this environmental project has been at no cost to Saltford Parish Council and its residents. SPC thanks B&NES Council’s Parks & Green Spaces team, and Farrans Construction (the contractor carrying out the Keynsham Recycling and Reuse project at Pixash Lane) for providing the trees and shrubs. Farrans Construction have also funded the fence which B&NES Council’s team will install. SPC was given free seed balls last year by the Bee Bombs company for planting in Saltford’s public spaces as part of the ‘Saltford Wildflower Project’ and 40sq metres of wildflowers were planted as part of the project.
SPC would like to thank B&NES Council, Farrans Construction and especially the team of enthusiastic volunteers who came out on a cold March morning to assist in this environmental initiative.
B&NES Council is aiming to plant 100,000 trees, and SPC is pleased to have been able to help them work towards this target. Caring for the environment is a key part of SPC’s policy overview (copy also below). If Saltford residents can think of any areas that might similarly benefit from more trees or shrubs and can arrange a team of local residents who can help with planting similarly to this project please do get in touch with SPC or the B&NES Council Parks and Green Spaces team.
If residents would like to help B&NES Council achieve their aim of 100,000 trees they can purchase trees for just £5 for their own gardens. The last B&NES tree sale of the season will be taking place on 18 March 2023. Please see the B&NES Council website for details https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/webforms/treegiveaway/
SPC Policy Overview
In April 2021, SPC resolved a policy overview to guide the work of SPC for the remainder of its current term of office. The following policy overview was adopted:
Saltford Parish Council endorses the need to respond to the climate and ecological emergencies. SPC’s decisions and policies will take account of whether they are good for the climate, the ecology of Saltford and for residents. SPC is in favour of protecting the Green Belt around Saltford from development including from a road bypass (that would be infilled with housing); reopening the railway station on the existing site; Fairtrade; and that Saltford should continue to be an inclusive and caring community.
B&NES Council article – Pace gathers towards 100,000 trees planted in Bath and North East Somerset
The following article was published by B&NES Council on 17 March 2023:
Hundreds of new trees are being planted in Bath and North East Somerset’s parks, green spaces and streets over the coming weeks as end of the winter planting season approaches.
In 2019 Bath & North East Somerset Council launched an ambitious target of 100,000 trees planted in the area by May 2023 by the council and others. The target is on track to be met in the coming weeks.
Residents can look out for 84 new trees that have recently been planted by the council in parks in Midsomer Norton, Camerton, Keynsham and Bath, funded by the Forest of Avon Trust’s Trees for Climate Grant.
As part of a separate project there will be native tree species planted at Lambridge and Whitewells open spaces including alder, willow, hazel, and hawthorn.
At the end of the 2021/2022 planting season, 64,000 trees had been planted across the district through council and partner projects since the council set a target in October 2019 to plant 100,000 trees by May 2023, in response to the climate and ecological emergencies.
By October 2022 70,000 trees had been planted. Final figures for the 2022/2023 planting season will be available later this spring but are on track to meet the 100,000 target.
Other tree planting activity includes:
- The first phase of Street Trees project planting has taken place on the Southdown estate and at Fox Hill in Combe Down in Bath this month. The remaining sites will be scheduled for planting in autumn 2023.
- Six of the nine lime trees on London Road, Bath will be replaced and replanted with Gingko biloba in April due to poor root growth.
- A first phase of planting at the Great Avon Wood near Pensford where council partners Avon Needs Trees and Forest of Avon Trust have jointly purchased over 113 acres of land, planting the first 6,500 of 40,000 trees.
- An oak tree has been planted at Sandpits Play Area in Moorfields this week to celebrate 100 years of council ownership. In February, a Cedar of Lebanon tree was planted at Bloomfield Green to celebrate its centenary.
- The final public tree sale of the season on March 18 to help increase urban tree canopy cover.