COP26 and Dover
- 8 November 2021 14:34372875Here in Dover, Earth, this is DDC Climate Change Strategy:
https://www.dover.gov.uk/Environment/Climate-Change/Climate-Change-Strategy-January-2021-web.pdf
Plenty of focus on emissions - a tick there - but how about expanding this strategy?
Concern for the environment is not just about how much CO2 you do or don't pump into the atmosphere.
How about a concerted strategy to expand woodland cover in DDC's area?
This would seem to be more needed the further north and east you go within the district, as a general rule. In particular, I'm thinking of Deal and sandwich. There is very limited access to woodland for the people of those two towns. AFAIK Deal is limited to Coldblow Woods, and the little bit of woodland around warmer and Kingsdown, as well as the sadly degraded Willow Woods.
This last is a prime example of woodland that has simply exceeded its carrying capacity. I gather a similar thing has happened in, for example, Epping Forest, where the number of people using it is more than the ecosystem can realistically handle. This results in among other things tramping down of the woodland floor and hampering the inability of trees and other plants to grow. You can see this in Willow woods at the area next to the crossroads, where there is a "Blair witch project" style treeless area that the last time I looked at some rather sinister looking rope hanging around.
Go further into the wood and you will notice invasive species, sent a general fetid atmosphere, and probably encounter a load of rubbish and quite possibly a burnt-out car which seems to have taken a mature tree or two with it.
Tree planting is great, provided you get it right, even setting aside fallow land and allowing nature to do its own thing, eventually culminating in woodland, is fine too. However perhaps most important of all is to ensure that existing woodland areas thrive.
On top of protecting and expanding woodland cover, how about some tree planting within urban areas? This would have a beneficial effect on people's mental and physical well-being as well as being good for climate change.
If it exists, that is. - 8 November 2021 16:01372877Andrew all for planting of trees.Too many cut Down for development .i think a whole area should be planted.Houses houses and no trees.Very good for ones health.Im fortunate living in leafy River.Alkham Valley lots of woodland .Whitfield an urban jungle.
- 8 November 2021 17:43372878Definitely. Tree planting targets for Whitfield rather than housebuilding targets would be welcome.
Disgustingly, a significant area of beechwood in Whitfield was axed in the 197os to make way for housing. I still recall vividly the sadness and the sound of chainsaws and the crunch as yet another mature giant fell. A small area was left intact - we used it as a play area - but even that was allowed to be sacrificed in the 90s (?) to make way for further houses.
I feel sorry for today's kids. We simply had access to more space to play. Another area that went in the 80s was "The wasteground" near Whitfield Rec. OK, it was an overgrown chalk quarry but local children reaped endless fun there.
One hopes that in these more enlightened times we can make up for this needless destruction. The sooner we realise we are part of the natural world and dependent on it the sooner we boost our survival chances. The era of treating the Earth as both larder and dustbin is drawing to a close.
To complete this sad litany, the trees around Jennings Hole were felled and the hole filled in, bits of Lenacre Wood have been shaved off to gain a few square metres of agricultural land, various hedgerows grubbed up and other mature treees inside the village felled to make way for infill. All this just in Whitfield and I see no effort whastever to plant replacements. Indeed, the English seem to delight in creating faceless suburban sprawl.Guest 3925 and Button like this - 8 November 2021 19:05372887Andrew P Stucken wrote:
On top of protecting and expanding woodland cover, how about some tree planting within urban areas? This would have a beneficial effect on people's mental and physical well-being as well as being good for climate change.
Yes, totally agree! As, unfortunately, I've shown in past posts DDC is decidedly behind the curve when it comes to thinking of the planet's future and planning for future generations of Dover.
The other week I was walking down Cheshire street which is just off Brick Lane in the east end of London, just past the Carpenters Arms, which used to be the hangout of the Kray brothers, who bought the pub for their Mum, and where they set off from to kill George Cornell in The Blind Beggar. Wow, has the area changed! Thanks to a forward-thinking council. They've chosen to narrow the street and plant a number of mature trees along the street, which only enhances the area but also contributes to a healthier planet. Not only have they done this in Cheshire Street, they have done it in a number of streets all over their burrow including Bethnal Green Road, where not only they've narrowed the street in places and planted mature trees, they have also planted areas of wild meadow plants.
Photos below are of Cheshire street, as they were creating the new more eco-friendly street face.
Do good and throw it in the sea...
