Plans to protect West Sussex’s existing woodland and improve tree cover

The county council’s tree plan addresses how it will undertake its statutory duties and responsibilities and how it will operate as a landowner.

As well as seeking to ensure the trees within the local authority’s ownership are maintained, protected and improved, the plan also seeks to influence how woodland within West Sussex is managed and improved.

The plan says: “The trees of West Sussex are a valuable and essential element of our urban and rural landscape, contributing significantly to the character of the county, as well as providing other economic, social, and environmental benefits, all of which contribute to our quality of life.

“Against a backdrop of changing national policy and legislation, the pressure for new housing and other development, emerging new pests and diseases, and the effects of climate change, the West Sussex tree plan addresses how the county council will undertake its statutory duties and responsibilities and how it will operate as a landowner.