As towns and cities become wetter and warmer as a result of climate change, trees are increasingly important to the places where we live. With their numbers in decline, we need to act now to preserve adequate levels of tree coverage.
Trees in the city of London. Photo by Stephen McLaren.
Trees are getting smaller
Large, mature trees bring more benefit than small ones as they provide more shade, better shelter and catch more rain in their leaf canopies.Yet large trees are often unjustly perceived to cause a range of problems – from subsidence to blocking out the light – and there is a growing tendency in urban areas to cut mature trees cut down and replace them with smaller, ornamental varieties.
New developments threaten trees
Trees are usually one of the last things that developers think about. By the time they are considered it is often too late to retain any existing mature trees or create an environment suitable for planting new species of large tree.New trees also take much longer than most development cycles to grow, so even where long term plans are in place there is no guarantee that the planted trees with reach full maturity.
So, what’s the solution?
If we don’t think now about planting new trees now, our towns and cities could become very grey and inhospitable places in the future. These resources can help:- No Trees No Future contains advice on integrating trees into new building development and planning. It is published by the Trees and Design Action Group which tries to keep cities green by raising awareness of urban trees and how to care for them.
- The benefits of urban trees is a presentation from CABE Space which shows how important trees are to our urban landscapes.
- Managing urban trees and developing a tree strategy provides information about promoting trees as part of streetscape design and considering their long term management.
No Trees, No Future
A TDAG report, supported by verified research, explains why trees are so important to our well-being and to the future of our towns and cities and gives advice to ensure that trees are allowed to thrive while development takes place. It explains why it is vital that we protect and plant larger varieties of trees. It demonstrates that by incorporating trees into new development the financial, social and environmental value of the resulting place can be greatly increased.
This report should be of particular use to developers, builders, planners and architects. It aims to
provide clear guidance, without an overwhelming amount of technical arboricultural detail.
Download your free copy here
This report should be of particular use to developers, builders, planners and architects. It aims to
provide clear guidance, without an overwhelming amount of technical arboricultural detail.
Download your free copy here
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