Gregor Murray - Executive Member for Climate Emergency

Wokingham Borough Council

Three things to talk about…

1. The Action

Plan

2. The Trees

Plan

3. Tree Cities

of the World

1. The Action Plan

Wokingham Borough Council - Climate Emergency Action Plan

Our Carbon Footprint is 560,000 tonnes per year. Our ambition is to reach Net Carbon Neutral by 2030. That means changing almost everything we do.

We have EIGHT key focus areas.

Energy Consumption

Reducing energy consumption in business and domestic properties.

Energy

Generation Controlling our Energy generation, storage & distribution.

Local

Planning Setting the highest standards in green development

Alternate

Transport Solving the reasons why residents use cars and building green infrastructure

Waste &

Recycling Zero waste to landfill70% RecyclingHalf all waste

Sustainable

Schools Leading the nation in sustainable buildings and teaching sustainability.

Greening the

Borough Plant 250,000 new treesIncrease biodiversityGreening Urban Spaces

Educating

Behaviour Creating the behaviour shift that will fully embed carbon free living.

Our Mantras If a project can’t deliver these then we just don’t do it.

Practical Within our sphere of influence.

Within our remit to deliver

Within our financial means to deliver

Within our residents capability to enact.

Achievable Not setting ourselves up to fail.Within the capabi l i ty of our residents, business or the council (and our supply chain) to deliver.Not reliant on external action or technology that doesn’t yet exist.

Sustainable Needs to last long past 2030.No one offsBehavior that can be replicated.

No Knee-Jerks No arbitrary targetsNothing that causes a bigger problem elsewhereSolve for the root cause not the symptom,.

Time-Bound Have to be delivered in the period we have.Each project has a timelineEach p ro j e c t h a s a p ro j e c t implementation plan.

Measurable Clear Carbon SavingClear BudgetAbility to measure carbon saving ongoing not one off.

2. The Trees Plan

What Does 250,000 Trees Look Like?

Woodland Type Spacing (m)

Trees Per Ha

Single Block (Ha)

Plus Access Infrastructur

e @ 15% (Ha)

Traditional High Forest (Coniferous) 2 2500 100 115Traditional High Forest (Broadleaf) 2.5 1600 156 180

Wildlife Friendly Broadleaf 2.75 1322 189 217

Wildlife Focus Broadleaf 3 1111 225 259

Coppice Long Cycle 2.25 1975 127 146

Coppice Short Cycle 1.5 4444 56 65

Orchard ~8 150 1,667 1917

Cricket Bat Willow ~10 100 2,500 2,875

Hedgerow 5 m-15000 km-1 50 km 57.5 km

What Does 250,000 Trees Look Like?

Land required for Wildlife focus Broadleaf

Land required for Traditional Coniferous

National Forest Inventory

Percentage Woodland Cover

Additional Value of Woodland – Biodiversity Net Gain

• Using Defra’s Biodiversity Metric 2.0 Calculation Tool

• Assuming 250ha of arable crops or improved grassland in poor (biodiversity) condition being converted to scrub and woodland.

• Headline biodiversity net gain between 25% and 525%

Additional Value of Woodland – Natural Flood Management

• Improving soil infiltration • Slowing flows • Flood storage areas

Afforestation – Work Streams

TP 1

TP 2

TP 3

TP 4

Large scale (greater than 5ha) woodland planting on our own estate on high carbon capture potential sites.

Review potential for smaller scale woodland planting on our own estate in existing parks and opens spaces sites.

Support woodland and hedgerow creation on private sites.

‘Garden Forest’ householder tree planting promotion.

Delivery Estimates

Sales

4%20%

18%

58%

TP1 - Large Scale Planting on our own landTP2 - Small Scale Planting on our own estateTP3 - Planting on 3rd party landTP4 - Garden Forest

3. Tree Cities of the World

Establish Responsibility

Set the Rules

Know What

You Have

Allocate the Resources

Celebrate Achievements

Motion to Council Not Yet Passed

Existing Tree Cities Of the World

Welwyn HatfieldNewry Mourne & DownMiddlesbroughRedbridgeHillingdonHullEalingCamdenBradfordBirminghamBarking & Dagenham

Buenos AiresBrusselsLiegeTorontoMilanModenaTurinGuadalajaraAucklandWellingtonMadrid

SevillaMalmoBoulderCarmelKnoxvilleMiami BeachNew YorkSan FranciscoWashington DC

Cleaner Air

Flood Management

Lower Temperatures

Improved Mental Health

Reduced Crime

Benefits Not Yet Passed