Don’t forget to get involved in tree photography project

Published: 31 March 2021

People are being encouraged to take part in a photography project to assess the effect of ash dieback disease on the landscape in Exeter.

The project has been up and running now for a number of weeks, yet organisers are hoping that the improvement of weather, the lighter evenings and the easing of government restrictions may prompt more people to get involved.

Three fixed camera points have been installed at three locations across the city where ash dieback will have an impact.

Members of the public can take photographs from the fixed posts to capture Exeter’s changing landscape over the coming months and years. The pictures, will help capture changes to the treescape and will help inform decisions about future plantings across the city. So far organisers have received 17 images but are hoping for more in the coming weeks and months.

The county-wide project is being run by Saving Devon’s Treescapes –part of the Devon Wildlife Trust – working in partnership with local authorities such as Exeter City Council to mitigate the loss of trees caused by the deadly ash dieback disease. The project is already underway in neighbouring East Devon https://edlp.org.uk/welcome-east-devon-landscape-photography

Posts have been installed at three of Exeter’s green open spaces with more positions being considered:

• Eastern Fields, Pinhoe – by the entrance from Beacon Heath Road (what3words location ‘assist backs fancy’)
• Exwick Playing Fields – at the footpath junction beside a bench and dog litter bin (what3words location ‘dimes backs loose')
• Topsham Recreation Ground – at the northern end of the park (what3words location ‘powder asleep lives’)

All three posts are mounted with a bracket, allowing people to take a photograph of the landscape with their camera phone and then send it to the project via email. The three posts help make up 25 across the county.

Photographs all need to be taken in the same way:

• Using a smart phone placed in the bracket
• Photos can be taken in ‘landscape’ or ‘portrait’ mode
• Don’t use the zoom function
• No selfies or people shots
• Email the picture to SaveDevonsTrees@devonwildlifetrust.org In the title of the email include the number in the top left corner of the sign on the post of the fixed camera point
• Those on social media can share their photos online using the hashtag #SaveDevonsTrees

Rosie Cotgreave, of Saving Devon’s Treescapes, said: “The early response to the project has been encouraging but we would love to get some more pictures. Now that we’re emerging out of ‘lockdown’, the evenings are getting lighter and the weather improving, we’re hoping that there’ll be more people out enjoying these green spaces and taking photographs, not only this spring but into the summer and throughout the different seasons to give us a visual record of our changing landscapes.”