TREE planting and protection will be on the agenda for a new advisory board established nine months after Storm Ciarán caused widespread devastation to the Island’s landscape.
Environment Minister Steve Luce said the Tree Advisory Board, a group of sector specialists, will advise on how trees should be better protected and managed, as well as planning for and co-ordinating new tree planting after last November’s storm felled thousands of trees.
A written States question has also revealed that over the period from last October to 31 May, the government spent a total of £2.74 million on clear-up, repairs, restorative works and accommodation for residents displaced due to the storm.
However, officials clarified that through the government’s insurance policy, they will be able to claim back around £1.1 million of that total.
In the weeks after the major incident, environmentalists called for a new “tree council” and the biggest tree-planting programme since the Great Storm of 1987.
Guernsey’s government was quick to announce that it would put £15,000 towards restoring its public woodland and green spaces, and some UK councils followed suit.
Deputy Luce said he is “particularly keen” to work with the board to focus on protection, planting and regeneration.
Representatives from the National Trust for Jersey, Jersey Trees for Life and the Jersey Farmers’ Union have been invited to sit on the board, which will also include government representatives from the Natural Environment, Regulation, Cabinet Office and Infrastructure teams.
The minister has also announced that he will work with them to develop a modernised tree listing process, after the 2022 Jersey Tree Strategy pointed out the need for review.
Currently, trees can be formally protected under certain circumstances, most often when they are the subject of some type of threat, usually a development proposal.
As a consequence, the number of trees that are protected by being listed is relatively low and may not currently include the Island’s most important trees.
Announcing the formation of the board, Deputy Luce said: “We saw the loss of so many trees during and after Storm Ciarán, so I am particularly keen to work with the new group to focus on the protection, planting and regeneration of trees and hedgerows.
“I will be bringing forward a strengthening of the listing process for trees.
“We are beginning work to review all aspects of the process, including the legal framework upon which it is based; the criteria used for assessment; and the policy that will determine which trees might be protected using this tool.”
He added: “I will work with the Tree Advisory Board and other key stakeholders to develop a proportionate system for protecting Jersey’s trees, and to ensure planting and regeneration is done in a co-ordinated and carefully planned way.”
Deputy Luce’s move comes after the previous government’s attempts to reform tree legislation fell through.
The topic first came onto the agenda in early 2022, when the felling of trees above the beach at Portelet Bay sparked Islandwide outrage and calls for stronger legislation.
But Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache claimed that former Environment Minister Jonathan Renouf’s proposals to strengthen laws were a “gross intrusion into individual freedom”.
Landowners and tree surgeons also said they were too restrictive and would risk routine maintenance coming under the reach of the law.
Deputy Renouf then dropped those draft proposals, and Deputy Bailhache successfully proposed to repeal the relevant part of the Planning and Building (Amendment No. 8) law and leave landowners free to carry out work on trees without needing planning permission.
Deputy Moz Scott then led the charge to establish, before the end of 2024, a “tree advisory board”, which would “offer information and advice to the minister in relation to the planting, protection and management of trees” – but she withdrew her proposition after hearing that something similar was already being considered by the Environment Minister.