A resident has spoken of her upset after the death of many newly-planted trees in York.
Anne Fry of Dringhouses says it’s “heartbreaking” that the trees have died and been removed.
Opposition Lib Dem councillors have blamed the Labour council for the issue. But Labour says no council money has been wasted and accused the Lib Dems of political point scoring.
More than 1,100 trees were planted earlier this year by contractors in areas including Knavesmire, Hull Road Park and Chesney Fields.
Some were mature trees protected by metal cages and some were young trees known as ‘whips.’
Trees are usually planted during the winter, but these were planted in the spring. This, combined with unusually warm and dry weather and a lack of watering, led to many of the trees dying, say the Liberal Democrats.
These have now been removed, with the intention being to plant replacements later in the year.
Resident Anne Fry said: “It’s heartbreaking. All of that time, care, and money that went into growing these trees at the nursery, planting them out with volunteers and contractors – just thrown away.
“The council didn’t even bother to water them. It’s not just a waste, it’s vandalism.”
Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson Cllr Paula Widdowson said: “This is environmental negligence, plain and simple.
“Trees are not just decorative, they are vital to our climate efforts and our quality of life. For the council to go to the trouble and expense of arranging for over a thousand trees to be planted and then not ensuring that the contactors cared for them is astonishing.
“The tree planting programme had been promoted as a key element of the council’s climate action plan but the tree deaths raise serious questions about whether political headlines were prioritised over long-term planning and delivery.”
Executive member for environment and climate emergency, Cllr Jenny Kent said: “This is really scraping the barrel, even for York Liberal Democrat Party.
“Cllr Widdowson has already been informed that contractors paid for externally by the White Rose Forest Green Streets programme have a contract to plant, maintain and replace trees should they fail and that should a contractor underperform, they will not be used again.
“Contract underperformance sometimes happens despite the council’s best endeavours, as Cllr Widdowson well knows from her time in office.
“Attempting to score political points in this way is disappointing. We have a whole council cross party commitment to the climate and environment and no one wants to see tree planting fail.
“The contract provides for three years of maintenance, which will be monitored, and no council money has been wasted.
“We can all help the new trees in sustained dry periods by watering them where able and willing, so they have the best chance of success.”