History of our street trees and the 2015 to 2020 campaign
In the late 1800s, a local wealthy businessman called George Wostenholme was inspired by the wide tree lined streets he saw in Boston, USA. He set out to create something similar in Sheffield, and began purchasing land in the area that is now known as the “Kenwood Estate” in Nether Edge. He established the road layout, with wide verges or pavements, and planted hundreds of young trees, mainly Lime Trees, in avenues along these roads. People then purchased the land and built houses along these tree lined roads. Read more
Status of threatened street trees in our area
A list of threatened trees in the Nether Edge area, categorised to show their current status (January 2021). Read more
The Chelsea Road Elm
The Chelsea Road elm tree is one of the most famous elm trees in the UK. Estimated to be around 120 years old in 2016, it is one of less than 1000 old elm trees in the whole of the UK (outside of the cordon sanitaire zones in Brighton and Edinburgh). Over 60 million elm trees died in the UK between 1964 and the late 1980s, as a virulent fungus called Dutch Elm Disease quickly spread across the country. The Chelsea Road elm tree is important, not just because of its rarity, but also because it is resistant to Dutch Elm Disease. Read more
Street Tree Wardens in our area
As part of the strategy, and to drive further community involvement, a network of volunteer Street Tree Wardens has been recruited across the city. Around five cover the trees in the NESST area. Read more
Funding additional street trees in the NESST area
The new Sheffield Street Tree Strategy was created in 2020, as part of a fresh approach from Sheffield Council to street trees. It was drafted in partnership with their contractor Amey, local street tree campaigners, and external experts from the Woodland Trust, Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust, academics, and other exemplar local councils.The new Sheffield Street Tree Strategy was created in 2020, and includes a new process that allows residents and community groups to fund the purchase additional street trees. Read more
The origins of NESST (SNET – Save Nether Edge Trees)
NESST was formed in late 2019, on the basis of foundations built in the previous four years, by a predecessor group, called Save Nether Edge Trees (SNET). SNET itself was formed in September 2015, when large numbers of street trees in Nether Edge and Carter Knowle were listed for felling. Read more