"Free The Trees!" - St Asaph Road SE4

Who'd have thought that a few hours spent with a bolt-cutter, secateurs, saws and a gaggle of hardy Street Trees for Living committee members on St Asaph's Road SE4 would be so much fun! 

Man with a mission!

For years, the trees along this busy Brockley thoroughfare have had to contend with pavement parking and (for those left languishing in their protective wire cages), being used as litter bins by thoughtless passers-by. 

Well, that all changed last Saturday when we went to town removing all the cages and stakes from the trees along St Asaph Road between the railway bridge and St Norbert Road. Some of the trees had suckered terribly, particularly a reasonably mature ornamental purple plum: 

TLC for the purple plum

Sadly, many of these trees have suffered by being left in cages for too long. Several have suffered bark damage and are likely to fall foul of fungal or bacterial disease:

We removed more than a sack full of assorted vintage litter during the work, including beer cans, crisp and sweet wrappers, the brands of which most of us haven't seen in years!

Anyway, the work is done and we are very happy with the results. It was lovely chatting to the various pedestrians and residents who came out to see what we were doing. We've decided to blitz some more of our neglected local streets in the coming weeks - so keep an eye out for the tree enthusiasts with the bolt cutters!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 - and please note the start today of our planting campaign for winter 2019/20

We are now inviting requests for planting in winter 2019/20 HERE on our blogspot, but ask that requests are registered soon to avoid disappointment. This year the deadline for registration will be much earlier, April 1st 2019, and we will impose a cap before then if requests exceed a manageable number.

Current planting is taking place as usual between October and March, and the timing for individual trees is in most cases unpredictable. About half are yet to be planted, so thanks in advance for any patience needed.

Our great news is that we will have planted over two hundred trees in Lewisham by the end of this present winter, just as we did in the previous one. Our grand total since 2012 is over six hundred. Funding continues to be provided mostly by residents and businesses, and by increasing numbers of local assembly grants. A huge Thank You to all who have been involved in the achievement.

Meanwhile, we continue to look for committee members to take an executive role in our campaign - and specifically to allow us to abolish the cap. Please let us know if this might be you.

Again, thank you for your support and interest, and Happy New Year, from all of us on the committee of Street Trees for Living.