Increasing Tree Planting in Response to Climate Change

The London Tree Officers Association (LTOA) has produced a statement about increasing tree planting in response to climate change.

The LTOA represents those who carry out the strategic and day to day management of trees in streets, parks, woodlands and other urban locations and are responsible for the protection of trees within private property and development sites; all of these components make up the single largest element of London’s Urban Forest. There are 11 key considerations for any plan to plant an extra half million, million or five million trees in London and it is important that this is made clear to avoid good intentions resulting in failure.

The LTOA supports enthusiasm for big action, however tree planting is not a cheap, quick and easy solution to climate change.  With proper investment and planning, supported by Tree Officers we can plant and establish more trees and we can play a key role in preparing London for a changing climate. 

Read the full article here

Duty to consult - Government response and Environment Bill

Please see link below for the summary of responses and the Government's response to the consultation earlier this year 'Protecting and Enhancing England's trees and woodlands' about duty to consult on street tree removal etc:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tree-and-woodlands-introducing-measures-for-felling-street-trees/outcome/summary-of-responses-and-government-response

And here is information about the Environment Bill

https://services.parliament.uk/bills/2019-20/environment.html

National Tree Officers Conference programme finalised

The only dedicated conference for professional tree officers, National Tree Officers Conference (NTOC), will be held this year in Reading, Wednesday 6 November. We are delighted to tell you that we have now finalised our programme. We are really excited, have a look here to see why.
 
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from Gian Michele Circulli, a local authority tree officer working for the City of Turin in Italy. You will also hear from a wide range of presenters from across the UK. 
 
The conference will examine felling licences and exemptions, pests and diseases, the role of trees in climate change, urban tree data collection and more.
 
This year the conference will explore:

• Planning
• Management and Legislation
• Collaboration and Diversity
• Standards, Pests and Diseases

Last year the conference was sold out with 260 delegates in attendance. Don’t risk missing out, book your ticket today!
 
You can book your ticket and find out more about the NTOC here.
 
Don’t forget to search for #TreeOfficerUK to find out more about this year’s conference and catch up with some of the topics from the last three years.
 

Fund4Trees & London Tree Officers Association

Young Tree Maintenance (YTM) bike ride - 17th July 2019

It is not often that local authority Tree Officers have the opportunity to engage with the decision makers of tomorrow and with that in mind, I pumped up my tyres, applied a liberal amount of chain lube and jumped aboard my trusty 30 year old Peugeot bike to aid Fund4Trees (F4T) to deliver their Young Tree Maintenance (YTM) workshops to primary school children, a local community group and even dog walkers.

A fine sunny day greeted ten likeminded tree professionals riding from the Greater London Authority (GLA) offices at Tower Bridge down through Southwark towards Camberwell Cemetery: the first our three YTM workshops. Each comprised a quick warm up encompassing exercises derived from Qi Gong and based on the tree biomechanics of Messrs Mattheck and Breloer. The resultant ‘Tree Gong’ introduced concepts such as lever-arm mechanics, growth stresses, compression and tension and bending moments by way of a gentle body-stretch and warm-up.

This was followed by a interactive presentation on the importance of urban trees, what they do and how they grow. Engagement was not solely academic though and we soon got started with workshop demonstrations on formative pruning, re-staking, mulching, watering, clearing weeds and competition (grasses) from the base of the trees. This was a first for Fund4Trees not involving tree planting but with the focus on the need for aftercare so often neglected and frequently resulting in moribund/or dead trees.

A short coffee-stop at Peckham Rye’s Cafe in the Park and we were back in the saddle again on our way to the community Meath Gardens in Tower Hamlets. Here we were joined by an eager gang of local community minded individuals to irrigate trees using local canal water extracted using buckets and wheeled carts. It was great to see Ben Connor, (GLA Senior Policy and Programmes Officer – Green Infrastructure) help with the watering.

The next cycle route was by far the most enjoyable, taking in a section of the canal towards Hackney; passing locks, houseboats and fellow keen cyclists along the way.

Next stop, lunch. Deferring to my esteemed colleague from Southwark, Oliver Stutter, we dismounted at a Basque Restaurant and tucked into ‘fish and bread’, burgers and chicken.

Fully fed and watered we resumed our ride for the YTM workshop at London Fields (Hackney). With an amazing set-up by Rupert Bentley-Walls with a tree contractor (N. Parkin Tree Specialists): kitted for a live chainsaw and a chipper demonstration. It was very rewarding to see a large group of pupils from Gayhurst Community School totally engaged in the Tree Gong warm-up, hand-on YTM activities and the value of trees Q&A sessions. I truly feel we have recruited thirty new young tree wardens to help with maintaining and protecting London’s trees. If anything, their excitement and motivation was infectious: reward enough for a most enjoyable day.

At the end of this 12 mile bike ride, of course there was one final duty, a quick imbibe at a local pub before heading our separate ways. 

Mick Boddy (F4T Trustee) “This was a first for our charity not involving tree planting but with the focus on the need for aftercare so often neglected and frequently resulting in moribund/or dead trees. The school children were fully engaged with our YTM workshop and success rates relating to aftercare is a key focus within the F4T Five-Year Research Strategy”.  

Liam Bullen
Graduate Planner-TPO Surveyor 
London Borough of Southwark