Street Trees – 2012 a Golden Opportunity

London has recently seen a much needed resurgence in street landscaping. Westminster City Council has supported new avenues of pear trees in Marylebone and is reviewing a new urban forest scheme in Soho. Then there is Boris Johnson’s team who, in partnership with the Forestry Commission, aims to fund the planting of thousands of new street trees in the lead up to 2012. BALI contractor Street Tree Care Ltd was the partnership contractor with Barnet Borough Council planting the new Redwood Avenue on the A5, starting from Edgware and finishing in Colindale.

The reason these projects are so enlightened is that, whilst there is a potential to get mired in red tape, the promoters of these schemes have overcome this bureaucratic hurdle by focusing on the ultimate gain. So why do we do it? Recently the City of New York carried out a cost/benefit analysis, which showed a five fold return on investment in trees, allowing the city to leverage $226m with the aim of planting 220,000 street trees over the next 10 years.

Encouraging and implementing high specification design and working closely with local authority Highways departments ensures Street Tree Care Ltd pre-empts potential problems. The company’s new Pavement Protector ™ has been developed as a result of this close partnership working.

The Pavement Protector ™ is a cast concrete frame that fits into the pavement around the tree, directing roots down below the vulnerable sand layer on which the slabs and blocks are bedded. The surface of the 'Protector' can be embossed with the street, tree name or borough logo. Trialled successfully in 2007 with Westminster City Council, this robust single piece unit also supports resin bound gravel finishes, preventing them from sinking.

When considering resin bound gravel for finishing a tree pit it is important to consider tree protection rings on young or semi mature trees. When not installed the gravel can bite into the cambium layer and cause early basal decay. It is important to remember to install the two-piece non galvanised ring outside of the supporting stakes, which can disturb the resin bound gravel. Tree guards can be effective against vandalism and car damage but are often seen by planners as litter traps and not in line with the new clutter free ethos for our streetscapes; hessian wrap is a good alternative.

With the Olympics just two years away it is an opportunity for us to show the world how important our gardening culture is to us. We should not limit this to the notion of the English country garden but also promote the regeneration of public spaces and streets.

Chris Suthers, Street Care Ltd

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