Sweet Chestnut Blight in London

I write to inform you that Sweet chestnut blight, which is caused by the fungus Cryphonectria parasitica, has been confirmed in East London and there will be a press notice about this.

It is not believed that this finding is linked to the previous outbreak in the South West. Action is being taken to identify and control the disease in line with our contingency plan and in compliance with our obligations under the UK’s Protected Zone status for this disease. We are working closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to carry out extensive surveillance of sweet chestnut trees in the area, working closely with local stakeholders. Further action will be taken on the basis of surveillance information and the best available scientific evidence.

Read more: Sweet Chestnut Blight in London

2017 London Tree and Woodland Awards

On the 11th July 2017, London City Hall hosted the awards to celebrate the work of individuals, communities and professionals to protect, improve and expand the capital’s tree and woodland cover.

Journalist Adam Shaw conducted the awards ceremony and marvelled at the fantastic range of winners. Shirley Rodrigues, Deputy Mayor for Environment & Energy, welcomed everyone to City Hall and confirmed there will be a £5M Mayors Tree programme to support people and projects like those who have won tonight; further details will be announced this summer.

Read more: 2017 London Tree and Woodland Awards

John Parker's keynote address to the All-party Parliamentary Gardening‎ and Horticulture Group

The Arboricultural Association (AA) organised a special event on July 18th 2017 for the All-party Parliamentary Gardening‎ and Horticulture Group in Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster. The purpose of the event was to tell members of the House of Commons and House of Lords about two key risks to the urban forest of the UK. One was biosecurity; the other was the increasing pressures on tree officers and the public sector. The AA kindly gave LTOA Chair John Parker the opportunity to deliver the keynote address at the event, which he used to promote the work of tree officers all over the UK and outline some of the challenges they face. John’s speech is reproduced in full below.

Additional photos, comments and a video clip can be found on the LTOA33 Twitter feed. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any comments or require any further information.

More information about the AA event can be found here

Read more: John Parker's keynote address to the All-party Parliamentary Gardening‎ and Horticulture Group

The European Forum on Urban Forestry (EFUF) 2017, Barcelona

Written by John Parker, LTOA

Article first appeared in the Arboricultural Association ARBMag

In June 2017 I was fortunate enough to attend the 20th annual European Forum on Urban Forestry (EFUF) in Barcelona, Catalonia, where I was representing the London Tree Officers Association (LTOA). I first encountered EFUF when I submitted an abstract for the 2016 event in Ljubljana about the work the LTOA was doing in relation to canker stain of plane (Ceratocystis platani). I had never participated in a conference outside of the UK before and wasn’t expecting to hear anything back from my submission, but – in a lesson to all those who think about having a go at this sort of thing, but don’t – to my delight it was accepted and I was invited to present.

It was therefore with some trepidation that in May last year I found myself in the magnificent surroundings of Ljubljana Castle, Slovenia, to speak at EFUF 2016 to an audience of arboriculturalists, urban foresters and academics from Europe and beyond. Much like at LTOA quarterly seminars or the National Tree Officer Conference, it can be a little intimidating to stand up and present your work to an audience of your peers, some of whom may be vastly more experienced than you. This feeling can be magnified in an unfamiliar environment under the watchful eye of not only the best in London or the best in the UK, but the best in Europe.

Read more: The European Forum on Urban Forestry (EFUF) 2017, Barcelona