Adam Cormack, head of campaigning for the Woodland Trust said: 'The local community has made a powerful case to retain the tree, adopting the slogan #noticethistree. We did notice, and so did thousands more.
'In too many places we see well-loved mature trees lost to development rather than designed into plans from the start. When this happens it's a lose-lose situation. The tree itself is lost and people lose something that made their lives better.'
'It’s easy for developers to overlook the value of existing trees as has happened with the Happy Man Tree. Too often we see well-loved, mature trees lost to development rather than designed into plans from the start.
'We’ve been campaigning for new developments to have a target of 30% tree canopy cover. Retaining existing trees, and ensuring councils have the resources to manage them, must be the first step in efforts to increase tree canopy cover. Planting new trees is important, but it takes time for them to mature and provide the benefits that trees like the Happy Man Tree offer.'
They're our neighbours. Old friends. They're at the heart of our community. Street trees add character to our streets, join us on our daily commute and provide a host of benefits for people, wildlife and our urban environment. But they're under threat.