Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       At the People and Communities Committee meeting on the 10th August 2021, Members were asked to consider a request received from Colonel Dan Rex MVO, CEO to the Queen’s Green Canopy, inviting Belfast City Council to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee and at the same time, promoting the importance of trees to the environment by planting trees in one of our Parks

1.2       Committee Members at that meeting recommended that, in accordance with the Council decision of the 4th May 2021, the Chief Executive exercise her delegated authority to defer consideration of the report to enable information to be obtained by officers and submitted to a future meeting in regard to the proposed locations as to where the trees would be planted and to establish the varieties of the trees to be planted, ensuring that those selected were of a native species and to guarantee inclusion within the Council’s One Million Tree planting initiative.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Agree to one (QGC) tree planting event proposed for Belmont Park, where 500 small native trees will be planted between November 2021 and March 2022, in the lead up to the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations planned for 3rd – 6th June 2022.

·        All 500 young, native trees planted as part of this (QGC) event will be automatically added to the Council’s on-going One Million Tree planting running total.

·        Agree the Council’s Outreach officer for the east of the city, work with local community groups to plan and take part in the proposed (QGC) event.

·        Agree to the installation of one small (QGC) plaque at the Belmont Park planting site.

3.0       Main report

3.1       On 8th March 2021 correspondence was sent out to all the Chief Executives in Northern Ireland from Colonel Dan Rex MVO, CEO to the Queen’s Green Canopy inviting Councils to take part in the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.

3.2       Colonel Dan Rex invited representatives from Councils and other interested parties to an on-line presentation which took place on 22nd March 2021 and this was attended by representatives from Belfast City Council; Mid Ulster Council; Ards and North Down Council; Lisburn and Castlereagh Council and Antrim and Newtownabbey Council, Viscount Brookborough KG, The Earl of Caledon Lord -Lieutenant, Mathew Stewart, Abercorn Estate, Robert Scott Lord – Lieutenant Co Tyrone, Nicola Brady General Secretary.

3.3       The presentation set out what the (QGC) project entailed:

1.     Thanking Her Majesty, the Queen for her exceptional service

2.     To celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee

3.     Promote the importance of trees to the environment

4.     Involving communities; charities; schools; youth groups and councils in tree planting; creating a lasting legacy in honour of the Queen’s leadership

3.4       The (QGC) is particularly focused on supporting urban tree planting, in the most disadvantaged communities across Northern Ireland

3.5       The (QGC) currently has a number of key partnerships in place and more are getting involved as the initiative gathers momentum:

·        Trees for Cities

·        Forest Canopy Foundation

·        Woodland Trust

·        Royal Horticultural Society

·        Royal Forestry Society

3.6       Assessing where trees are planted each year continues to be on a rolling programme and is undertaken by local Park Managers with the assistance of the Council’s Woodland/Arboricultural officers and in conjunction with site specific tree management plans. In this 2021/22 tree planting season, we will also be focussing our attention on woodland restoration, removing invasive species and replacing with more suitable native trees.

3.7       Tree diseases are becoming more prevalent due to climate change; even our native ash trees are currently under serious threat due to the Ash Die-back disease, so it is important to plant a wide range of species, predominantly native, but it is equally important to include some non-native, larger ornamental trees, especially in keeping with previous tree planting in our Parks over the past one hundred years.. It should be noted that no tree, whether native or non- native is immune from pest and diseases, so the more varied tree planting undertaken, the better.

3.8       Members are reminded that Council continues to forge ahead with the One Million Tree planting initiative which is running over a 15-year period and this year our park Managers have identified seven planting sites for the 2021/22 tree planting season, which includes the proposed Belmont park (QGC) planting site. All of the 3,700 proposed young trees (whips) will consist of native varieties such as: birch; bird cherry; hazel; scots pine; hawthorn; mountain ash and holly.

3.9       The department also plans to plant approximately 200 larger extra heavy standard trees, which are approximately 10’ tall and these will consist of what is known in the tree nursery industry as ‘ornamental/specimen trees’ which are non-native, such as: maple; hornbeam; beech; sweet gum; cherry; lime; elm and dawn redwood. These larger trees will comprise of new and replacement planting.

3.12     Financial & Resource Implications

            None – Tree planting projects scheduled for 2021/2022 will come out of existing tree planting budgets and also out of a Woodland Trust ‘Tree Emergency’ fund.  These monies are sufficient to cover the Council’s planned one million trees contribution for 21/22 and the additional planting proposed under the QGC project.

3.13     Equality or Good Relations Implications/Rural Needs Assessment

      None.”

            In response to a number of queries from a Member, the Director of Neighbourhood Services advised that he would arrange for the Council’s Woodland Officer to liaise with the Member directly to discuss these in more detail.

            The Committee:

·        agreed to one (QGC) tree planting event proposed for Belmont Park, where 500 small native trees would be planted between November 2021 and March 2022, in the lead up to the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations planned for 3rd – 6th June 2022;

·        noted that all 500 young, native trees planted as part of this (QGC) event would be automatically added to the Council’s on-going One Million Tree planting running total;

·        agreed that the Council’s Outreach officer for the East of the city would liaise with local community groups to plan and take part in the proposed (QGC) event; and

• agreed to the installation of one small (QGC) plaque at the Belmont Park planting site.