Tree saviours sought for weeding mulching event

Published: 2 August 2023

Tree saviours are being sought in Exeter to help keep the city looking green.

Volunteers are needed to help weed and mulch around 450 trees that were planted near Exeter Quay last winter by Saving Devon’s Treescapes in partnership with Exeter City Council.

The trees will only continue to thrive if they are cleared of weeds around their base and mulch put in to stop weeds coming back.

The session will take place on Friday 11 August between 10:30am and 12:30pm, at New Haven Field in Exeter, next to the allotments.

Saving Devons Treescapes is a Devon Wildlife Trust Initiative and works hard to mitigate the effect that Ash Dieback disease is having on the county’s trees. The disease is estimated to kill at least 90% of Devon’s ash trees in the coming years.

Devon's treescapes are stunning and crucial habitats for so much wildlife and that’s why it’s so important to take action and for people to get involved. The initiative is working with communities and landowners to plant copses and hedgerows across Devon to replace some of the trees that are taken by the disease.

Last year, it was announced that Exeter is leading the way in city centre green spaces and tree canopy cover. A report from the University of Sheffield ranked Exeter as the number one city for green spaces and trees in its city centre, ahead of 67 other UK cities.

To reserve a spot on the 11 August session, go to the Eventbrite website at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tree-aftercare-session-exeter-quay-tickets-680897030347

Saving Devon's Treescapes is led by Devon Wildlife Trust on behalf of the Devon Ash Dieback Resilience Forum. It's a partnership project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund as well as other funders. Read more about the project and find other ways to get involved on the Devon Wildlife Trust website www.devonwildlifetrust.org/what-we-do/our-projects/saving-devons-treescapes