Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Are Britain's trees disappearing?
That's the big question for Britain's newly appointed "tree champion", Sir William Worsley.
He is tasked with overseeing how trees are being protected and planted and ensuring no trees are being felled without good cause. Existing mature trees often have scant protection, as anyone following the Sheffield Council debacle knows, and one negative report from an insurance company is all it takes for some trees to get the chop, even if the evidence that the tree is causing a problem to nearby houses is non-existent. Residents have resisted street tree felling but it is a long and exhausting business and, in Sheffield's case, has resulted in campaigners ending up in court.
Network Rail also came under scrutiny following the uncovering of their secret "enhanced clearing" (don't you love the doublespeak, almost like they know that people aren't going to like it) plans. Tree charities point out that there are viable alternatives to felling which include pollarding, coppicing and hedging which better protect valuable habitats but meet the needs of the company to protect lines.
Too often then companies and cash strapped councils take the "quick and easy" option of felling, even when alternatives are offered.
Recognising the value and need for the urban canopy is more urgent than ever. As Jeremy Barrell, director at Barrell Tree Consultancy, and a member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, says in the Guardian,
“There is strong anecdotal evidence and improving research evidence to confirm that urban canopy cover is declining around the world, and that is certainly my experience in Britain. Successive UK governments have failed to recognise the threat and act to reverse the adverse impact on ordinary people.”
I wish Sir William Worsley well and hope that he can halt the rapid deforestation of Britain.
We simply can't afford to let the trees disappear. They are just too important to our mental and physical well-being. You don't have to be a die-hard tree hugger like me to recognise that.
Read more about the plans here
Tags for Forum Posts: nature notes, trees
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mavic Starfish on
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I'm contributing to the fight back, 4 trees planted in the back garden + 2 in the front (+ numerous shrubs) since we moved in. There weren't any when we first moved into Chez Langham, and the front garden was crazy paving. Makes me sad when I see a front garden used as a driveway
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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Me too. It also contributes to the warming of areas as well as flooding. Lots of people dislike having trees in front of their house, even though councils only plant dwarf stock, short lived trees these days, and refuse them. I got my small mountain ash because so many people refused in the last round of tree planting but even after it was planted a neighbour told me they would pull it up if it was outside their house!
This year, I’m pretty sure that goldfinches nested in it and I love watching the birds strip the berries in winter. It also protects my house from witches :0!
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Permalink Reply by EMC2 on
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I have a Hawthorn that my Aunt gave me, from my home townland, in my front garden. Lone hawthorns are meeting places for the wee folk in Ireland but I've yet to meet any. It's had several offspring, one of which is doing well in our local Baptist Church grounds.
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Permalink Reply by Peter Corley on
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What's happening in Sheffield is an absolute disgrace, the worst example of a public/private partnership. Meanwhile, Haringey's budget for new tree planting this year is exactly zero [as I understand it] Sadiq did give some GLA money though, and I and many others helped plant several trees in parks around the borough. While I'm on, please give any young street trees near you a bucket of water when you remember. Only takes a minute and could save their precious lives. Use the watering tube if there is one.
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Permalink Reply by Chris Setz on
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I think Councils have been driven crazy by the cuts - they'll try anything to prevent lack of adequate social care killing people for example.
What can we do for our trees?
I hope it's true that Marie Antoinette would cast 'native' seeds (in her case from Austria) from her carriage as she travelled throughout France. What a legacy!
Tree seeds are everywhere and cost nothing so come on everyone, be regal and multiply :)
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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I have to admit to being a bit of a tree-saver. When I see a tree struggling in a crack in the pavement or some such, I'll plant it in a small pot to save and and 'do something with it later'. I incorporated a copper beech from the middle of a car park in Enfield into my hedge, but I still have a birch two hazels and an oak to be planted somewhere. (The viability of the oak TBC). Any suggestions as to any community/public body who might want them?
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Maybe find a public bit of green space that could do with a tree (bearing in mind the likely size after, say, 30 years)? Ideally one you pass regularly and even better if it rights a biodiversity 'balance'.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Smith on
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I planted a small mimosa in the planter by the passage on Pemberton Road a couple of years ago and it's thriving. Not sure what the council will do when it gets to twice it's current size though.
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Wunderbar, Kudos! Maybe you could move it before it gets too big?
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Or keep trimming it. What's too big?
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Specs are complex, it's how the arboriculturalists earn their keep. They deal best with the 'right tree in the right place' issues. They have some strange constraints like the Council policy not to consider if it's obscuring someone's lounge window. Tough.
For me it's:
1) Do you like it at the way it is?
2) Do others like it? Need to ask them because someone might come up with a point of view not considered. Can drivers drive round it, can you park near it, is it smelly or dropping leaves, do neighbours dislike it. want to plant something else etc
3) Is it coming to the end if it's life? Many don't live long and should eventually be replaced. Although your is very new, it will age and you could plan for that. The rate of growth of the girth is a pretty good guide as to how it is ageing but it's complex because of light and neighbouring plants.
4) How much work is it? Is it a pain to look after? Nothing looks nice if neglected.
In other words, there are no problems, just keep on keeping on.
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