Nigel Farage's constituency of Clacton-on-Sea has been identified as a 'tree desert' in a new report by the Woodland Trust, leaving residents more exposed to air pollution, poorer health, lower life expectancy, and the impacts of rising temperatures. The Essex town ranks as the worst-performing area in England for equal access to trees, with 98.2% of urban residents living in neighbourhoods with critically low access to trees.
North-south divide in tree cover
The research, which covered the entire UK, revealed a significant north-south divide, with 15 of the worst-performing towns and cities for tree cover located in the north. Hartlepool's population has particularly low access to trees, with 86.9% of residents at risk due to a lack of tree cover. In contrast, London and the south-east fare best for tree density, including areas such as Woking and Tunbridge Wells, with five of the best-performing areas located in the capital, including Lambeth, Islington, and Hackney.
Health and environmental impacts
Caroline Gray, Woodland Trust tree equity programme officer, stated: 'More than a million people in the UK are living in these 'tree deserts', places of critically low tree equity where communities are missing out on the many benefits trees provide. That can mean hotter homes and streets, dirtier air, higher rates of asthma and heart disease, and poorer physical and mental health. These challenges affect daily life in countless ways and, combined with wider inequities, can even contribute to lower life expectancy.' Scarcity of trees in urban areas puts people at greater risk of stress, anxiety, depression, and poor physical health. Trees in urban environments reduce flood risk, keep air cleaner, and protect against rising temperatures.
The north-east was identified as the region with the highest number of 'tree deserts', with 13 of the worst-performing English towns. Gray emphasised that everyone should have easy, nearby access to the environmental and health benefits of trees, known as tree equity. However, wealthier areas tend to have more tree abundance, while areas of social deprivation have far fewer trees.
Call for action
The Woodland Trust urged that tree equity should be embedded into urban planning, and that planted trees must be cared for and protected to ensure they continue to thrive and improve residents' quality of life. Gray added: 'The aim is not to criticise local authorities but to raise awareness of where people are most impacted in order to encourage greater support, investment and action. Schools and communities in areas can apply for our free trees – we want to support local authorities and the people that live there.'
Councillor Adrian Smith, Cabinet Member for Environment at Tendring District Council (TDC), responded: 'The characterisation of areas such as Clacton as a 'tree desert' does not reflect the reality on the ground. More than 40,000 trees have been planted in Tendring in recent years, through the Tendring Woodland Initiative Group, and with support from partners including the Essex Forest Initiative. In addition, the council has planted more than 1,500 trees across many of our open spaces, helping to strengthen tree cover in our urban areas and bring the benefits of green infrastructure closer to residents, as part of the Urban Tree Challenge Fund. Alongside this, community-led planting projects, memorial tree additions within our cemeteries, and ongoing maintenance programmes further demonstrate our commitment to increasing biodiversity and enhancing green spaces across the district.'
Understanding tree equity
The rankings reflect the scale of the population exposed to low tree equity, rather than simply identifying areas with the lowest overall tree cover. Tree equity does not just measure abundance, but also reflects whether areas have enough tree cover to meet local needs – for example, in areas of high air pollution, the need for access to tree cover would be greater than in an area with cleaner air. Trees in urban areas create habitats for wildlife, help prevent flooding by acting as natural sponges and umbrellas, improve air quality, and keep cities and towns shaded and cool. However, they are under constant threat from development and under stress in many areas from climate breakdown. In several cities, including Plymouth and Sheffield, the felling of urban trees has prompted public protests.
