Rare elms in the spotlight for Sussex Tree Festival

Brighton & Hove’s rare and much-loved elm collection will be at the forefront of the Sussex Tree Festival which starts this weekend 14 & 15 June.

You can explore them throughout the festival on the digital tree trails, developed with CPRE Sussex, the council, local elm enthusiasts and Brighton and Hove Green Spaces Forum.

The city has some of the rarest elm trees in the world, thanks to the success of our ongoing programme of elm tree monitoring, management of infected trees and a new programme of inoculation to protect the city’s trees and prevent the spread of devastating elm disease.

Rare elms in Brighton & Hove

To mark the start of the festival, we’re publishing the locations of 23 elms that are particularly rare because of their type and size or age.

They include two elms in Stanmer Park arboretum, one of which is thought to be the only surviving example and another one of only two left in the world; an elm in Portslade that is the only known mature example left and two majestic elms in Stanford Avenue that are the biggest examples of both ultra rare cultivars, in the British Isles.

Brighton & Hove holds the national collection of elms and has just been awarded a bursary from Plant Heritage to propagate and provide learning on how to conserve and improve these rare species.

Community-led festival

Councillor Alan Robins, Cabinet member for Sports, Recreation and Libraries. said: “Our elms are completely unique – and it’s even more remarkable that we have such a diverse collection in an urban environment. We are proud of our work with residents and conservation experts to protect our tree heritage.

“The tree festival is a great opportunity for residents and visitors to get out into nature and explore local green spaces, from your local park to nature reserves. Many events are being hosted by community groups and I’d like to thank them for making the tree festival bigger and better than ever this year.”

Sussex Tree Festival events

There are plenty of opportunities to discover the rest of the city’s tree heritage, from the stunning trees in Blakers Park to the nature reserve at Wilding Waterhall. Check out the tree festival events on the CPRE website.

The first event is the Branch Out conference in Shoreham on 14 June, which is open to everyone.

Sussex Tree Festival runs over two weekends, 14-15 and 21-22 June. It is organised by countryside charity CPRE Sussex, volunteers and local groups, sponsored by Connick Tree Care and Rampion Offshore Wind and supported by The Living Coast UNESCO Biosphere.

More information

Follow the digital tree trails

View the Sussex Tree Festival programme

Book a ticket for the Branch Out conference at the Shoreham Centre.

Where Brighton & Hove’s rarest elms are

Find exact locations on the What 3 Words app