They help tackle climate change by absorbing harmful pollutants, they muffle traffic noise and promote residents’ mental health.

Now Oxford City Council is aiming to maximise the benefits trees in town have on the immediate environment and communities.

Currently Oxford has an estimated 248,233 trees which benefit over 154,600 people. That equates to two trees per person, double the ratio for London. There are currently 73 species with the most common being ash, willow and poplar.

The city council is now developing a strategy to maintain our “urban forest” and in the next few months, anyone who lives or works in Oxford will be able to have their say on it through a public consultation.

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The initiative was the main recommendation of a report published in February in partnership with social enterprise group Treeconomics.

Some 200 randomly allocated plots across Oxford, on both public and private property, were surveyed by teams of trained volunteers and professionals.

Detailed tree measurements were recorded, including the species, height, diameter of the trunk and canopy spread.

The location of the trees, including information on land use and ground cover, was also collected to build a picture of the structure and composition of Oxford’s urban forest.

The data was inputted into iTreeEco, a specialist software application which is used globally to help develop policy on trees and green spaces.

It was found that:

  • They cover an area equivalent to 725 football fields with a leaf area of 31km square.
  • They intercept around 255 thousand cubic metres of rainwater every year, saving the equivalent of about £81,000 in stormwater treatment costs.
  • They filter an estimated 65 tonnes of airborne pollutants each year which is worth more than £1.12 million in social damage costs.
  • They remove an estimated 2,500 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year, estimated to be worth £619,000.
  • The filtration of sulphur dioxide alone is equivalent to the emissions of over 11,000 cars every year.
  • The city’s trees store an impressive 76,400 tonnes of carbon worth £18.8 million.

However, the report also showed that the city needs to keep investing in replenishment to protect and enhance biodiversity and combat tree disease.

Ash Dieback and Xyella diseases threaten around 16 per cent of Oxford’s trees and this could have a devastating effect on the benefits they bring.

Councillor Tom Hayes, deputy leader and cabinet member for Green Transport and Zero Carbon Oxford, said: “The recently published iTreeECO study of Oxford’s urban forest demonstrates how vital this resource is to us.

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“Oxford has an abundance of trees and green spaces which provide places where people can relax, play, enjoy nature and take part in recreation or sport. They also add to people’s satisfaction with their local area and help to bring communities together.

“During the pandemic this has never been more important. But there’s no room for complacency.

“Oxford’s carbon emissions amount to nearly 10 times the total carbon storage of Oxford’s urban forest so we need to do more.

“The report recommends that we need to develop a strategy, for the whole city, to guide actions that will help us to maximise the benefits from our urban forest through preservation, planting and policy.”