More trees to protect against climate change

More non-native trees are being planted across Jersey to protect against climate change and provide shade in urban areas.

Jersey Trees for Life said woodlands were having to deal with harsher summers and more rain - in the past two months Jersey has experienced a pair of heatwaves and record temperatures.

Chief executive Alex Morel said he was worried about the high risk of wildfires or furze fires, noting recent major fires on the headland of Little Sark and a gorse fire at La Corbière in Guernsey.

Jersey Met also classified the risk of wildfires under current weather conditions as extreme. Morel said tree species from the south of France could prove more resilient for the island's future.

"Trees that we're planting now are trees that have to survive a dry spring, they have to survive warm hot temperatures during the summer and hot nights and also be able to withstand large amounts of rain and storms in winter," she said.

Morel said planting species such as maritime pines was a cheap way of regulating outside temperatures and keeping outdoor areas cooler.

She noted the last week experts were testing equipment in Jersey's playgrounds to ensure it wasn't too hot for children to use.

She said: "Everybody should have access to shaded, cooler spaces, public spaces - for some people, well, a lot of people in Jersey, we don't have air conditioning units.

"So if your flat is so hot, you need to be able to get out and go and seek shade and that's what trees do and they do it for free."

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