Guest post by Thomas Cowley, Isle of Wight Network Coordinator
The Isle of Wight joined the UK Tree Warden Network, with the launch held at The Isle of Wight Steam Railway.
With a complete absence of deer, only red squirrels, an amazing micro-climate on the southern side of the island, and Europe’s largest rotational landslip, the Isle of Wight (IW) is a unique environment for trees.
Sam Village, The Tree Council’s National Tree Warden Scheme Coordinator, spoke at the launch, along with representatives from Wight Nature Fund, to introduce the Tree Warden Scheme to 36 attendees from the local councils, third-sector organisations, and IW Council.
Other speakers included Jerry Willis, IW Council Tree Officer; Helen Butler MBE, from the Isle of Wight Red Squirrel Trust; and Ian Boyd, who developed the recently adopted Isle of Wight Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
An online hub to support Tree Warden discussion and information sharing has been set up, hosted by Wight Nature Fund, and an online triage system for tree issues is under development, through collaboration with IW Council, which will contribute to its Tree Management Strategy.
To celebrate the formation of the new network, Wight Nature Fund is asking residents to suggest a favourite tree, with plans to document and celebrate the Isle of Wight’s most loved trees in 2026.
Yarmouth Town Council supported the establishment of the first Isle of Wight Tree Warden Network Coordinator, with new Volunteer Tree Wardens recruited from community, parish, and town councils across the island. Charity, Wight Nature Fund is covering the network subscription fee and Thomas Cowley, one of their Trustees is leading the coordination of the network.
