Trees and the Public Realm - Westminster City Council

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Page 40 Trees and the Public Realm (Draft) Pests and Disease 100. Well-grown, healthy trees are less susceptible to disease than trees that are in poor health or under stress. The importance of optimising good growing conditions should therefore not be underestimated. Appropriate species selection can help as some species are less prone to pests and disease than others. For example Plane trees are genetically predisposed to resist fungal attack. Other characteristics 101. Some trees produce large amounts of fruit that would not be tolerable for safety and cleansing reasons if it were allowed to fall onto the public footway. Trees that produce thorns are also not a wise choice for the public footway, for obvious reasons. Fortunately, thornless varieties of most species are usually available. 102. Consider also the propensity of the species to produce seeds or fruits that can for example be poisonous (yew) or aggravate asthma or eye/throat irritation (Plane tree’s hairy seeds) or have unpleasant or aggravating smells (female ginkgo). 103. Tree species with well-known propensity for ‘brittle branches’, (e.g. the golden leaf form of false acacia) should be reserved for sheltered sites. They are unsuitable for planting at the base of tall buildings or where there is a potential wind tunnel effect. Subsidence 104. Potential subsidence damage to buildings is also a consideration, albeit not always a foreseeable one, in taking planting decisions within the public realm. Existing guidance from both the arboricultural and insurance industries highlights the increasing incidences of subsidence due to climate change irrespective of the presence of trees. Given the technical and site-specific nature of the issue please contact council’s arboricultural officers for further information (see contacts in Appendix F). Fifth Avenue, W10: Plane trees which have been pollarded as they have grown to keep them to a size appropriate to the scale of the street (sourced from Google Streetview)
Trees and the Public Realm (Draft) Page 41 8. SUSTAINABILITY CONSIDERATIONS 105. In addition to the matters raised already in this document, it is also important to consider the role trees play in the ‘green agenda’ and the increasingly pressing issue of climate change. Within the City of Westminster there are many areas which have clear deficiencies in open space and greenery, as shown in the map over the page 9 . Whilst some of these areas may not be suitable to accommodate trees, there are a number of opportunities for other interventions throughout the borough to address these sustainability issues. Biodiversity 106. Native trees are best for biodiversity as they generally support a wider range of species than introduced trees. Large and older trees will support more plant and animal species than small or young trees of the same species. Veteran trees 10 are particularly important for biodiversity as they have the potential for bat and bird roosts owing to cracks and holes that develop in the tree from decay over time. 107. Our parks, open spaces and cemeteries offer the greatest opportunity for the planting of native species, but where possible and without conflict to other design intentions, native trees should also be considered for street tree planting. Climate Change 108. The maritime climate of the British Isles is historically characterised by the absence of extremes of heat and cold. Our cities therefore have been climatically equitable places in which to live and work. However there is a general consensus amongst experts that temperatures will increase, summers will be hotter and drier, winters will be warmer and wetter, and there will be an increase in the number of storms and floods. Recent reports have recognised the role of trees in combating these trends 11 . 109. Trees in enclosed pits may struggle in future to find sufficient water to remain healthy, and certain species, such as beech, birch and ash may not cope well with these climatic changes. 9 This map has been extracted from council’s Open Space Strategy. Further details are provided in Appendix E. 10 Veteran trees are trees which, because of their great age, size or condition, are of exceptional value culturally, in the landscape, or for wildlife. 11 More details on the Mayor of London’s 2009 environmental programme are provided in Appendix E.
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