20 November 2020
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Cork City Green party welcome appointment of Trees Officer in Cork City
Politics
“We are very pleased that a Trees officer will be appointed by Cork City Council. This will build the capacity of the council to protect and build a green city. The vision for the Trees Officer is very much someone who is ‘wellies on the ground’. Someone who is engaging with local communities and who can spread knowledge and best practice across the city.
“Cork has been very envious of the Dublin Trees Strategy. Dublin already has a Trees Officer and they’re able to drive forward a trees policy. That’s not just about protecting trees but also making sure the right tree is in the right place. That can avoid a lot of problems residents make about trees before they ever happen. The overall of benefit of doing things right is about keeping the benefit of having trees and biodiversity at the heart of the city.
“The first act of this Council in 2019 was to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency in the city. The climate emergency is being addressed through the Climate Action Committee, with a remit across the whole of the city’s operations. The biodiversity crisis involved the preparing of a trees and biodiversity policy for the city. There has been work on that, some very impressive, but it has been hampered too by there being no dedicated trees or biodiversity officer to drive it forward on the ground.
We hope to see the Trees Officer post advertised early in the new year, after the Chrismas period has passed.”