About Us
The Wandsworth Tree Warden Network is a member the Tree Council’s National Tree Warden Scheme which was launched in 1990. We are all local volunteers, resident in the London Borough of Wandsworth, and as local tree champions we are the eyes and ears of our neighbourhoods in all things tree.
We currently have over 100 Tree Wardens who are resident in different parts of the borough. Our wardens have no formal experience or training in tree matters but they all share a passion for trees and an appreciation of the many benefits that trees provide to the local environment. We are independent of Wandsworth Borough Council although we work and share information and ideas with the council and they support our work through grants and providing meeting space.
We have a small committee of 6 Tree Wardens who meet regularly to guide the work of the Tree Wardens and liaise with the Council.
What we do
If you interested in signing up as a Tree Warden you can download our Role of a Tree Warden to find out more about what we do.
We have submitted a discussion document A 21st Century Tree Strategy for Wandsworth to the council and are urging them to review their current tree strategy
Members regularly check online planning applications made to the council which may adversely affect existing trees in the locality. In certain cases we may make representation to the council to save certain trees and/or request replacement trees on some large regeneration sites.
Our tree wardens participated in the recent i-Tree survey and are actively encouraged to initiate projects such as the fruit trees in schools project.
Tree wardens and residents are encourage to identify new sites for tree planting as well as reporting any existing ‘empty pits’ (a space where a tree was previously planted and might have died and a new tree could be planted). Occasionally a whole street may be identified by local residents and planted with new trees.
The Council maintains a database identifying potential planting sites but welcomes suggestions and requests for new locations put forward by residents and Tree Wardens.
Everyone is encouraged to report a dead or damaged tree to the council and you can do this by going to the report a damaged tree page on this site.
During hot summers young trees may not have sufficient water to prevent the tree suffering acute distress and in some cases dying. When there are near drought conditions, young trees will struggle to survive and we encourage local residents to assist with additional watering.
Signs that a tree is in distress include the leaves drooping, the ground around the base of the tree becoming dry and cracked or the tree struggling to come into leaf after a dry spring. Watering the tree with a few buckets of water every week will help ensure the young tree has a good start. Watering at night helps ensure minimum loss of water through evaporation (which can be as much as 30% during the heat of the day). Water can be poured down the watering pipe but it is also important to apply water on the surface and allow it to soak down to those roots that are close to the surface. If need be, hardened earth can be loosened with a fork or trowel to prevent excessive water run-off.
Our objectives
To promote for public benefit the conservation, protection and improvement of the environment through the planting, care, nurture and cultivation of trees throughout the borough. We aim to raise public awareness of the many benefits that trees in the urban environment provide and the unique hardship that city trees are subject to. Our principal focus is on street trees, those trees which are planted in the public realm: Mainly residential streets and roads and, to a lesser extent, trees in parks, commons and new public urban spaces.
Winner of 2019 Civic Award
The Wandsworth Tree Wardens scooped the first in a new environment category of the 2019 Wandsworth Civic Awards for their fantastic work, especially with Wandsworth’s street trees.