Ride for Research 1st April 2014, Birmingham University

Join our Charity Fund4Trees (F4Ts) ride being held as part of the “Trees, People & the Built Environment II” conference & help get proceedings off to a flying-start

Ride Aims: (1) Raise monies for urban tree research & study bursaries and (2) Take the message to schoolchildren about the important environmental value of trees in towns & cities via hands-on tree planting and interactive group discussion.

Meeting Point / Time: 8:30am at the University of Birmingham Guild of Students Union Building on Edgbaston Park Road.

Taking Part: Please visit - http://fund4trees.org.uk/2014/02/17/2014-ride-for-research-birmingham-open-to-applicants/

Finish Time / Location: 2.00pm at the University of Birmingham for a ceremonial tree planting with Professor Julian Evans OBE FICFor President, ICF.

Route: A relatively flat route (approx. 17 miles long): roughly 50:50 between road and towpaths taking in traditional Birmingham sights such as the historic parts of Bourneville, urban parks, country parks and the canals. We will visit two schools* en route for fun educational tree planting session.

Lunch @ the Canon Hill Park cafe: Will be provided: please advise if you are a vegetarian.

Rider Sponsorship: To take part £150.00 is required. To obtain your sponsorship a please visit the Just-Giving page: http://fund4trees.org.uk/2014/02/17/start-a-fundraising-page-with-justgiving/

Please sign-up for Gift-Aid when making donations as the F4Ts Charity gains an extra 20%.

Insurance: The Ride and school tree planting events will be insured by Fund4Trees but riders are advised to take out personal ride insurance for the day**.

* We aim to get all - if not most of - the schools to turn-out for the tree planting. For any given ride we could engage with 400+ children.

** Insuring each rider would be prohibitively expensive and divert important resources away from urban tree research and bursaries.

For more Ride info. contact Russell Ball - Mob. 078844 26671 - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The AA Spring Road Show

BS 8545 Young Trees: From Nursery to Independence in the Landscape

Course Description:

The publication of BS 8545 Young Trees: From Nursery to Independence in the Landscape is imminent. The document has been four years in preparation and offers a completely new perspective on the process of successfully taking young trees from the nursery to independent features in the landscape.

For more information, click here to download the flyer

New Planning Practice Guidance on TPOs

New Planning Practice Guidance on Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas was published on 07 March.

The new guidance replaces ‘Tree Preservation Orders: a guide to the law and good practice’, (the Blue Book), which was published in 2000, and the 2009 addendum to the Blue Book. Other related guidance has also been cancelled.

The Planning Practice Guidance guidance omits all of the model letters and documents contained in the Blue Book, but instead provides flowcharts which summarise the various processes involved in administering Tree Preservation Orders.

In addition, the new guidance has been abridged, and some small but potentially significant changes have been made. For example, the wording of the guidance on assessing the amenity value of trees has been slightly altered, and introduces a new reference to climate change. There are some omissions - the former guidance on the circumstances in which it is possible to waive the need to provide reasons for proposed tree work seems to have been omitted from the new advice. But there are also some additions - the new advice suggests that authorities should aim to determine validity of applications within 3 working day of the date of receipt, and also makes it clear that when making a TPO after receipt of a section 211 notice, the authority should provide a copy of the new Order to any agent who submitted the section 211 notice.

The new Planning Practice Guidance on Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas can be found here:

http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/blog/guidance/tree-preservation-orders/

Details of cancelled guidance is available here:

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/cancelled-guidance_06032014.pdf

BS8545

This new and eagerly-anticipated standard will go a long way to ensure that we have trees which are of the finest quality from the nursery, planted in the right place and given the best care and proper attention to flourish once in the ground.

Making the right investments in the formative years will help guarantee a future full of high quality trees, enabling us to enjoy the countless benefits which they provide for us - and for our environment - once they have been given the opportunity to establish.

LTOA members can get a 25% discount when buying the standard, please contact Becky Porter on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..