From Play Parks to Nature Reserves – The Triple Threat Facing Swindon’s Trees

Disease - Climate Change - Policy Inaction

Across Swindon, dead and dying ash trees now stand where thriving canopies once shaded parks, play areas, and walkways. What began as a biodiversity concern is now a public safety issue, worsening with every storm and heatwave.

Recent analysis by Simon King warns that many of the UK’s most valued trees are struggling to keep pace with rising temperatures and extreme weather. Forestry England confirms that heat, drought, and sudden rainfall are accelerating decay, leaving trees dangerously brittle.

At the September 2025 Full Council meeting, I submitted formal written questions about inspection frequency, ash removal priorities, and funding for replacements. The official responses are now public:

“All trees in the borough are inspected on a four-year cycle.”

“The Council takes a case-by-case approach to the removal of diseased ash trees.”

“There are no specifically allocated budgets for replacing trees that have been removed.”

(Swindon Borough Council – Public Question Time, Sept 2025)

These answers raise real concerns. Can a four-year inspection cycle keep pace with trees that can deteriorate in a single season? If inspections stretch for years, how many unsafe trees remain undetected in parks and play areas?

“Case-by-case” may sound flexible, but who sets priorities and on what evidence? Without clear criteria, decisions risk delay and inconsistency.

And with no budget for replacements, how will Swindon protect canopy cover, wildlife, and climate resilience? Woodland Trust reports that fewer than 15% of infected ash trees recover. “Natural recovery” isn’t a realistic plan.

Without a replacement strategy, every removal is permanent canopy loss, less shade, less biodiversity, less carbon storage.

Swindon needs a Tree Management and Replacement Strategy: shorter inspection cycles, transparent priorities, and guaranteed replanting linked to every felling. Great Western Community Forest and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust prove this can be done with clear leadership and funding.

🌳 Act now. Demand a funded, accountable tree strategy that protects our green spaces and public safety.

👉 Share this. Contact your councillors. Ask what action they support on tree safety and replacement.

References:

Swindon Borough Council (2025) Full Council responses: September 2025. Available at: https://ww5.swindon.gov.uk/moderngov/ieLi (Accessed: 25 October 2025).

BBC (2025) Rising temperatures threaten UK trees – but these resilient species could help save our forests. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/c0jdp9wynn7o (Accessed: 25 October 2025).