Wokingham Tree Warden Network

The Tree Council

The Tree Council leads an action programme which empowers communities to manage and look after the trees in their neighbourhoods. The programme supports the formation of networks of volunteer Tree Wardens whose aim is to help protect and care for their communities' trees.

The Tree Council launched the Tree Warden Scheme in 1990 to harness the power of local volunteers for the good of their communities' trees. It has coordinated it nationally ever since, working with local authorities, voluntary organisations, parish councils and local partnerships to set up and develop Tree Warden networks in town, city and countryside across the UK.

In 2005, the Government began backing the scheme through its 'Cleaner, Safer, Greener' initiative to help extend Tree Wardening further into urban areas.

About the Wokingham Network

We are a group of local volunteers working closely with both Wokingham Borough Council and the parish councils across the district. Driven by a shared passion for our local environment, we act as the eyes and ears for the trees in our communities. From veteran oaks to newly-planted saplings, our mission is to protect and celebrate the trees and hedgerows that make Wokingham a green and beautiful place to live.

The Wokingham Tree Warden Co-ordinator (see the Contact us page) works with the Tree Council and WBC to ensure that those who wish to participate in projects have all the information they need.

What we do

Our role is varied and adapts to the needs of the local parishes, but our core activities include:

• Planting and aftercare: we organise and take part in local tree, hedgerow and orchard planting projects, helping to ensure young trees survive their critical early years.
• Surveying and monitoring: we keep an eye on the health of local trees, identifying potential threats like pests and diseases, decay or vandalism. We map significant and veteran trees.
• Gathering information: we act as local points of contact for tree-related queries and report concerns to the Council’s Trees and Landscape team.
• Community Connection: we raise awareness about the value of our trees through guided walks. We give talks to local groups, produce leaflets about local tree walks and about the history of specific trees in Wokingham.
• Supporting Tree Council campaigns: we are involved in campaigns such as the Hedge Tree campaign and in setting up trees nurseries using seeds collected locally.

No expertise is required; guidance, training and support are provided by members of the group. We hold meetings several times a year to discuss projects, celebrate successes and to plan for the months ahead. We welcome anyone with enthusiasm, a love for the outdoors and a desire to make a tangible difference to the environment in Wokingham.

If you would like to join the scheme or find out more about it, complete the online form here.