Hereford Tree Forum - Town Hall Seminar - 23 Oct. 2026

The meeting brought together representatives of organisations and individuals committed to protecting and enhancing the county’s trees and green environment.

Proceedings were opened by Cllr Elissa Swinglehurst, Cabinet Member for Culture and Environment and Deputy Leader of the Council. She outlined how concerns for the loss of biodiversity, the climate and the ecological emergencies led to a cross-party recognition of the need to enhance our trees, woodland and hedgerows – especially in the context of losses due to ash die back.

These concerns resulted in the development of The Herefordshire Tree, Hedgerow and Woodland Strategy, which was eventually signed off in January of this year. Its stated shared vision is:

• “To create and sustainably manage a thriving network of trees, woodland, traditional orchards, riparian vegetation, wood pasture and parkland, species-rich hedges and hedgerow trees across the county. The treescape will connect across the urban and rural landscapes of Herefordshire, delivering multiple benefits for people, place and nature – now and into the future.”

The aim of the Strategy is to set out an aspirational, yet achievable, shared future vision for Herefordshire’s treescape. It is not itself a statutory plan but it supports the council's legal obligations, including its biodiversity duty as required under legislation such as the Natural Environment and Rural Communities and the Environment Act.

H-THAWS extends the vision of the council's own Tree and Hedgerow Code of Practice, which is binding across its internal estate to provide a voluntary and partnership-based framework for private landowners, communities, and external organisations across the wider county.  Cllr Swinglehurst went on to mention the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, the subject of the next speaker’s presentation, stressing the overlap between and the complementary nature of H-THAWS and the LNRS but stressing that
“Delivery will depend on strong partnership working with landowners, farmers, NGOs, communities, public bodies and other organisations – the doers of deeds -, supported by the Council’s role in coordination, project development and monitoring” 

Charlie Alfandary, Herefordshire's Local Nature Recovery Officer opened his presentation by highlighting the extent to which nature has been depleted nationally and pointing to the legally binding target to increase species abundance by at least 10% by 2030.

Nationally, a  Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) is required under the Environment Act 2021 to plan, map, and drive coordinated action for restoring and enhancing wildlife and habitat in all of 48 areas across England.   Published in August 2026, Herefordshire’s own LNRS provides a framework to guide and support projects that accelerate nature recovery. It  outlines priorities for the local area, such as reconnecting species-rich grasslands, restoring traditional orchards, managing river and wetland habitats (including the Wye catchment), and supporting nature-friendly farming.

While the strategy, maps and recommendations provide a wealth of information to help guide landowners towards funding, environmental grants and in making decisions regarding Biodiversity Net Gain, they are voluntary: they do not force private landowners or farmers to change how they manage their land.

Full details of the strategy and access to the interactive mapping can be found of on the Herefordshire Council LNRS Page

Charlie also highlighted the Council’s offer of free, climate-resilient trees to local Parish Councils communities, open until the 27th November. (Contact [email protected]).

Our third speaker was Colin Merker, Chair of Cradley and Storridge Parish Council, who drew attention to the shortcomings of Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) in cases where subsidence damage to a building is alleged to have been caused by tree root action. He described how two 200-year-old oaks in Cradley had recently been felled following claims that they had damaged a nearby building. They were protected by a TPO but permission to fell was granted.

Such cases are not uncommon: citing a BBC investigation, Mr Merker noted how  protected trees are being felled as a “cheap and easy option” in subsidence claims and that between 2019 and 2024, ten councils reportedly granted permission for the removal of 1,403 protected trees.

These types of claims can place councils in a difficult position: where  permission to fell is not granted and insurers decide to take such measures as underpinning foundations to prevent future root-related problems, they may then seek to recover their costs form the council.  Yet in all of these proceedings,  the value of the tree itself is entirely overlooked. Using an accepted tree valuation method, the two Cradley oaks were valued at £268,000 – considerably more than the likely cost of appropriate structural repairs.

Mr Merkers' presentation amounted to a call to arms for planners, policymakers and others involved in these decisions to take the intrinsic value of trees fully into account, ensuring that proposed measures are proportionate and that trees are not simply treated as expendable.

The final speaker was Brendan Tuer, the Council’s Principal Arboricultural Officer. He outlined the wide range of challenges involved in managing the Council’s tree stock, starting with the particular climatic challenges presented by events such as the extreme heat and dryness of last summer, the increasing frequency of storms and high winds  and the widespread flood events that have struck the county in previous years. All of these tend to cause stress to our trees, although human activities are also an ongoing and perhaps a greater threat and it is here, through the implementation of TPOs, Conservation Areas and Planning Law that local authorities and their tree officers have, perhaps, the greatest influence to promote good tree care and management in the community.

One area of great concern has been the impact of Ash Dieback across the county. The council undertook a comprehensive survey of ash trees near public highways and by last year had identified over 2,000 ash trees with symptoms of severe dieback.

Over 800 dead and diseased trees were removed in the years 2024-25 and surveys of other routes are continuing. Although early estimates suggested that 80–90% of ash trees might be lost, more recent projections put the figure at 50–70%. Tree safety, therefore, remains a significant responsibility and a considerable drain on resources.

There was, however, more positive news on improving resilience in our green infrastructure, particularly through the planting of new trees. Volunteer tree wardens have identified sites across Hereford where trees have previously been removed and opportunities for replacement planting exist. Grant funding has been secured, with around 400  new trees expected to be planted over the coming winter months.

A final question-and-answer session explored some of the practical challenges facing the county’s green infrastructure and how they might be addressed. Overall, the meeting provided an informative and constructive afternoon for both speakers and attendees.