Abundance London has launched a tree watering campaign in Chiswick to keep local street trees alive through the summer.
During the summer of 2021, the voluntary organisation, which is known for its environmental and educational projects in the area, had 85 volunteers looking after over 100 trees – successfully keeping nearly all of them alive.
The Hounslow Greentalk website states that there are over 120,000 trees in the borough with 383 different species, saying ‘trees that are under three-years-old need all the help they can get’. Giving a newly-planted tree some water during dry spells could help their survival, Hounslow Greentalk notes.
In a statement sharing the news of this campaign, Abundance London said: ‘‘Over the past few years we have all begun to appreciate the value of our street trees. As the climate emergency begins to reveal itself in the increasing unpredictability of our weather it has become clear that one of the best things we can do is plant more trees – they cool overheated cities, they sequester carbon, they help insect and birdlife.
‘‘In the hot summer of 2021 Abundance London tree volunteers stepped up – we had 85 volunteers looking after over 100 trees and we successfully kept nearly all alive. With a record dry March and a record hot April this year, it is clear that our new trees need help again.
‘‘In partnership with Hounslow and Ealing council tree officers we are launching this watering campaign.
‘‘Everyone – residents, businesses, schoolchildren, everyone – is asked to check the list of new trees on our website at abundancelondon.com, select your nearest tree, and make a commitment to keep it alive by watering as per the instructions. Fill in the easy form to let us (and others) know you are on it. If you live outside the immediate Chiswick area you can of course still look after your tree!
‘‘To be a top tree waterer, you should be giving your tree a full watering can or bucket twice a week, from now until October, preferably in the evening or first thing in the morning, directed at the base of the tree.
‘‘This will ensure that our new trees get a really good start and become healthy, happy mature trees for decades to come.’’
Discover more about your tree variety here for Hounslow and here for Ealing (and you can also register your adoption with them).
For more information, visit abundancelondon.com