Planting
As part of their Tree, Hedgerow and Woodland Strategy, Wirral Council has pledged to plant 210,000 trees by 2030. This means planting 21,000 trees per year and replacing any that need to be unavoidably removed.
Throughout the planting season, between November and March, Wirral Tree Wardens help towards this target by helping at community planting and maintenance events.
Watering
Tree Wardens also assist with the watering of our newly planted trees.
In drought conditions, young trees will struggle to survive. We hope that all residents, as well as our tree wardens, can help by watering trees near to your home or workplace if the tree looks distressed or if there is no rainfall for 10 days in a row in spring and summer.
Signs of distress in a tree include leaves browning and dropping early, or if the ground around the base of the tree dry and cracked. Watering in the evening when it is cooler is preferred, as this reduced loss through evaporation, but any watering is better than nothing.
If a tree has a watering pipe, water can be poured directly down that. Water around the base of the tree for shallower roots.
Read guidance on how to water young trees to help them survive
Citizen Science
Citizen Science involves members of the public collecting important data for scientific research. The Woodland Trust run two citizen science programmes around trees and woodlands that you can support through observations.
Nature's Calendar
The Nature's Calendar project is run by the Woodland Trust. It tracks the effects of weather and climate change on wildlife, including trees.
To take part, you can submit observations such as leaf buds bursting, autumn tinting of leaves, or berries ripening.
The Nature's Calendar includes records dating back as far as 1736 and your observations can help scientists understand how our nature is responding to changing environmental conditions.
Ancient Tree Inventory
The Ancient Tree Inventory maps old and important trees in the UK, so they can be studied and protected.
If you spot an old tree, you can submit the tree's location and basic information which will be sent to a verifier to check.
You can learn more about the Ancient Tree Inventory, submit trees, and, explore the existing records.