The City Of Tree
As planning for Milton Keynes moved into construction it was declared we would be a City of Trees. Eccentric way back then but today what a proud boast, a proud boast in so far as the trees go but not yet with city status.
Britain, sadly, has the lowest tree population per acre in all of Europe. Milton Keynes has twenty-two million trees ! The human population of Milton Keynes is 282,445, meaning there are almost seventy-eight trees per person. How many other locations within Europe’s poorest tree nation has so many ?
The oldest living thing in Milton Keynes is The Tattenhoe Oak.
If only that tree could speak ! Within Milton Keynes Tattenhoe has so many legends it can celebrate within our heritage. All of these legends are explored in my book Milton Dreams The City That Never Was.
Plat a tree in ’73 – Plant some more in ’74. That was a fun government initiative encouraging families to plant trees in their gardens. It was not a Milton Keynes initiative but fitted so perfectly with what Milton Keynes Development Corporation wanted to achieve. Every household within our new city was given a voucher to buy a tree for their garden.
Understanding has increased so much over the past fifty years, yes trees are beautiful and driving along the grid roads of Milton Keynes it is so easy to think you are in the country but we now understand they are the lungs of the world. With global warming and climate emergency we need to increase our tree population. If Milton Keynes were to be awarded city status I would suggest part of its celebration should be to wave its city of trees under the nose of the country they set an example to plant many, many more.
Every person, all 282,445 of us, should
plan a tree. Schools, community and sports groups need to be involved. Her
Majesty loves trees, that is an open secret, and trees are being planted to
celebrate her Platinum Jubilee. Let Milton Keynes lead the way, Milton Keynes
The City of Trees !
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