Herne Hill Tree Watch was formed in 2019 by two long-time residents:

Paul Millington, from Red Post Hill. Paul chairs the Friends of Sunray Gardens, a historic little park that he and his team keep in beautiful condition with weekly gardening sessions and new trees and shrubs 

Jeff Segal, from Warmington Road. Jeff was until recently a furniture maker who milled his own timber from fallen London trees to save them from the chipper.

We have around 100 volunteers across almost every street between Herne Hill/Denmark Hill in the north; Carver Road in the west; Sunray Avenue/Red Post Hill in the east; and Turney Road in the south

We have street leaders on each of these roads who act as our main point of contact. They help organise watering and maintenance and involve residents in choosing new trees

We have supporters across Southwark and in Lambeth too

To help Herne Hill’s street trees flourish

To keep them safe and healthy

To involve the community in their upkeep

To expand the tree cover and fill gaps where trees have been lost

To help meet these aims, our co-organisers Paul and Jeff meet or speak regularly with the council's Arboricultural Services Manager, Julian Fowgies, and his team

Watering saplings regularly so they can withstand heat and drought 

Pruning suckers and other growths around the base of mature trees

Carrying out additional minor maintenance, like removing unwanted cages, stakes and ties

Looking out for defects, damage, decay, disease, danger and general poor tree health

Reporting issues to the council through regular surveys

To identify places where new trees are needed

To request new trees from Southwark council and apply for funding

To hold street visits where residents can point out problems and learn tree identification   

To expand our network of volunteers

To keep them informed with monthly email newsletters

To work with local societies and residents’ groups