Since May 2026, the Trees Committee of Friends of Lewes, (Lewes Urban Arboretum Project), have been working with the Railway Land Wildlife Trust, the Environmental Justice Law Clinic, (University of Sussex), and the Environmental Law Foundation to propose a Tree Charter for Lewes.
With representatives from Lewes Town Council and Lewes Climate Hub, the Town Ranger and the SDNP Biodiversity Officer we formed the Rights of our Trees group, (ROOTs), with the primary aim of gaining full approval from Lewes Town Council for a Tree Charter for Lewes that protects the rights of our trees in our Arboretum Town.
We were guided by the Rights of our Trees, Woodlands and Forests Toolkit developed by Dr Joanna Miller Smallwood and her students at the Environmental Justice Law Clinic, (University of Sussex). The inspiration for this project came from attending a marvellous “Voices of the Wild” conference organised by Helen Meade and the Railway Land Wildlife Trust team in April 2026.
Councillor Dinah Morgan proposed the motion to adopt the Tree Charter at the meeting of full council on 10th September 2026, where it met with unanimous approval.
With the support of Lewes Town Council, the ROOTs team will continue to meet to implement the proposals that will champion the Rights of our Trees.
You can find out more about the Tree Charter, the motion to Lewes Town Council, and the rights of Trees toolkit here: The Tree Charter for Lewes.
