Latest news with #treeProtection
The Independent
04-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Campaigners fight to save 120-year-old tree from ‘irrational' local council
Campaigners are fighting to save a 120-year-old London Plane tree which the local council is threatening to bring down after a lengthy legal battle. Haringey Council in North London has said the tree on Oakfield Road, Stroud Green, must be removed because it has caused damage to properties nearby. A notification on the felling from the council said 'the tree has contributed to tree root damage to the adjacent properties. Pruning was unsuccessful, and movement of the properties has continued'. Residents now have until 17 June to respond to the notice. Annette Elder, solicitor and member of Haringey Tree Protectors, said the decision from the council was 'completely irrational'. 'Mature trees like the Oakfield plane are vital in urban areas—for cooling, biodiversity, air quality, and residents' wellbeing,' she told The Independent. 'It makes no sense to remove them without robust evidence that they are causing active harm.' The council said the trees have caused subsidence in nearby properties. Subsidence occurs when the foundations of a home become unbalanced due to the ground sinking. This can move walls and floors from their original groundwork and cause severe damage. Trees can cause subsidence when its roots grow into clay soil and take up enough moisture, which causes the soil to dry out and shrink. Ms Elder told The Independent claimed that the owners of the two houses affected by the subsidence have reached agreements with their insurance companies to pay for repairs on the house, so there was no need to fell the trees. 'There's no clear evidence that the tree poses a real or immediate threat—especially once underpinning takes place,' Ms Elder added. 'Even Haringey's own Tree and Woodland Plan states that trees should not be removed or pruned solely because of a potential or perceived future subsidence risk. 'We believe this is a completely irrational decision. 'If you follow this logic, almost every street tree in the area could be considered a risk. Are we going to fell them all?' Ms Elder said there are reportedly around 200 active insurance claims in the borough relating to potential tree-related subsidence. 'Subsidence is a wider issue—climate change, increased heat, and flooding all contribute to greater soil movement, particularly in clay areas,' she said. 'It's precisely because of climate change that councils, including Haringey, have pledged to increase canopy cover.' A Haringey Council spokesperson said: 'We are currently consulting on a proposal to remove the tree. 'The court ruled in 2024 that a previous decision by the council to remove the tree was lawful and has refused permission to bring an appeal against this. We are undertaking a further consultation in view of new statutory requirements that have come into force since that decision. 'Our proposal is based on consideration of the evidence submitted on behalf of the owners of the properties. 'We will carefully consider all the feedback we receive, including any new information or changes of circumstances, before coming to a final decision on the future of the tree.'
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Kew Gardens expert urges a new approach to looking after trees
London should take lessons from Sweden on how to protect the capital's trees from droughts and diseases, an expert from Kew Gardens has told evidence to the London Assembly's environment committee, Kevin Martin said a lot of the species currently being planting in urban environments are not suited to city Martin, head of tree collections and arboriculture at Kew, said: "I've just come back from Malmö in Sweden and they are very far advanced of what we're doing now in London."He suggested people are undergoing a "really big cultural shift" towards protecting trees. The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Mr Martin pointed to the controversy surrounding the felling of an ancient oak tree in Enfield as evidence of increased public interest in trees, along with the public outcry about the destruction of the Sycamore Gap tree in said: "I do think we need to keep pushing on with that and don't let it go out of the public eye, because as soon as that news story stops, it will all be forgotten about again."He told the London Assembly to "think really carefully now about getting the species selection right" as the capital's trees are suffering from droughts and diseases as the impacts of climate change are suggested planting trees with the plasticity to deal with drought stress, and said the Swedes are even making their own soil "so when they do get rain, they can hold the moisture for a lot longer".He added: "They're using a mix of perlite and biochar and also soft, organic mulch, and they're really buying into it and increasing their planting pits."So there's lots of things we have to look at to get the establishment of trees in London." According to the Greater London Authority, London is the one of the world's largest urban forests, containing an estimated 8.4 million trees in public and private Martin said that there was no getting away from the fact that London is "a big urban heat island" which typically records temperatures higher than in rural member Keith Prince said that prior to his election, Sir Sadiq Khan had promised he would plant two million trees in his first term alone - though this pledge did not end up appearing in his formal Crisostomo, City Hall's head of green infrastructure, said Sir Sadiq remained committed to his goal of increasing London's tree canopy by 10%, having already funded the planting of more than 600,000 new trees since his election in 2016.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Injection works begin to protect 1,400 city trees
Work to protect about 1,400 trees from the spread of elm disease will begin today, a council has said. Brighton & Hove City Council said it would inject hundreds of trees with a non-toxic substance designed to protect elm trees from the disease. The council said it was expanding the programme, now in its third year, to include more trees and parks. Inoculation works will last around two weeks and take place across the city including in Old Steine, Pavilion Gardens and Valley Gardens. New areas to be targeted in this year's programme include Queen's Park, Wish Park and St Ann's Well Gardens. Elm disease, which is caused by a fungus and spread by elm bark beetles, has killed millions of trees in the UK over the past 50 years, according to the Woodland Trust. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Tree inoculation aims to tackle disease spread Brighton & Hove City Council
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Injection works begin to protect 1,400 city trees
Work to protect about 1,400 trees from the spread of elm disease will begin today, a council has said. Brighton & Hove City Council said it would inject hundreds of trees with a non-toxic substance designed to protect elm trees from the disease. The council said it was expanding the programme, now in its third year, to include more trees and parks. Inoculation works will last around two weeks and take place across the city including in Old Steine, Pavilion Gardens and Valley Gardens. New areas to be targeted in this year's programme include Queen's Park, Wish Park and St Ann's Well Gardens. Elm disease, which is caused by a fungus and spread by elm bark beetles, has killed millions of trees in the UK over the past 50 years, according to the Woodland Trust. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Tree inoculation aims to tackle disease spread Brighton & Hove City Council
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Brighton & Hove City Council begins elm disease programme
Work to protect about 1,400 trees from the spread of elm disease will begin today, a council has & Hove City Council said it would inject hundreds of trees with a non-toxic substance designed to protect elm trees from the council said it was expanding the programme, now in its third year, to include more trees and works will last around two weeks and take place across the city including in Old Steine, Pavilion Gardens and Valley Gardens. New areas to be targeted in this year's programme include Queen's Park, Wish Park and St Ann's Well disease, which is caused by a fungus and spread by elm bark beetles, has killed millions of trees in the UK over the past 50 years, according to the Woodland Trust.
