From Research to Reliability Through Professional Alliances

1. From Research to Reliability Through Professional Alliances Keith Sacre, Sales Director Barcham Trees PLC Keith Sacre, Barcham Trees PLC

2. Project Types From Architectural concepts..... to Golf Courses… To Gardens… To Street Trees

3. Chain Saw Massacre (GLA, 2007) Prior 5 year period • 39,924 trees removed • 48,129 trees planted Net gain 8,205 trees There is no break down regarding species planted and this data only applies to Local Authorities in the Greater London Area.

4. Barcham Trees Figures for Greater London (2005-2008) Quercus robur Equates to 6 shade trees every km2 Approximately 23% of trees are supplied into Greater London Quercus robur Fagus sylvatica Aesculus hippo. Platanus hispanica 9,700 Shade Trees were supplied Fraxinus excelsior Corylus colurna Acer platanoides Acer pseudo.

5. Six species accounted for 40% of total sales (2005-2008) Malus spp. 1217 specimens Acer campestre spp. 1721 specimens Prunus spp. 8314 specimens Amelanchier spp. 1600 specimens Crataegus spp. 1415 specimens Sorbus aucuparia spp. 3313 specimens

6. Conclusions from the Barcham Tree Supply information • Significant numbers of shade trees are being supplied to be planted in Greater London. • The percentage of small trees accounts for a very large percentage of the whole And…………. The number of trees planted by Local Authorities has produced a net gain.

7. But what does net gain mean? Approximate scale of 12-14cm London Plane (Platanus x hispanica) Given that a 12-14cm girth Platanus x hispanica will have a canopy volume of between 3-4m3, how many would need to be planted to compensate for the loss of one of London’s fine Victorian specimens?

8. Extrapolated figures It is possible to extrapolate if figures have remained constant: • 96,000 young trees planted in a 10 year period. • Given 24% loss rate *, 72,000 trees remain. • Of which, 23%** are shade trees * Trees in Towns II (2008) ** According to Barcham figures

9. Perception “Significant secondary/tertiary canopy cover is not present in the density that it should be.” Why is it then, if my perceptions are correct, that the secondary and tertiary canopy cover which could be expected given the number of trees planted, is not readily apparent?

10. Planting Specification To my knowledge there is no nationally agreed model, specification, or standard which is supported by detailed empirical research to provide adequate guidelines.

11. Planting Specification Why is this given the enormous resources being put into the planting of young trees???

12. Trees in Towns II (2008) • “On average Local Authorities spent £1.38 per head of the population during the financial year 2003/2004. The range of this spending among LA’s varied considerably between £0.08 to £4.93per head. This was similar to the level identified by the 1997 survey.” • “54% of LA’s reported that there had been no real change in their total tree budget over the past 5 years, taking into account inflation.” Paragraph 101 and 102

13. Questions • How can we ensure that the lip service often given by Government and other budget holders or providers is actually converted into serious funding, guaranteed over a prolonged number of years, which would enable Local Authority Arboricultural Officers to convert their undeniable knowledge and skills into the results their own standards would naturally achieve? • Perhaps lobby for public tree population management to be a statutory undertaking recognising those publications for the national asset they actually are?

14. Elm In the U.S.A Ulmus ameriana Princeton Ulmus Accolade At Barcham

15. Dutch Elm Disease Resistance Breeding Programmes in the USA have resulted in Schmidtts Nursery in Oregon being able to offer 16 cultivars of Ulmus that exhibit resistance to DED.

16. Where is the Research? Where is the research into the identification, breeding and cultivation of new tree selections in the U.K which in Jeremy Barrell’s words provide ‘species and forms that are likely to be most suited to the urban environment’?

17. Tree Production Stem Taper Morus alba ‘Platanifolia’

18. Questions • Where is the research to confirm or contest in relation to nursery practice and subsequent planting and maintenance procedures? • Are purchasers of trees, if modified production methods can be achieved, prepared to pay for the additional preparatory work necessary on the nursery by moving away from the ‘cheapest option’ analysis, which is so often the critical factor of tree buying, to an analysis of achieving the greatest success and the best value for money in the long, rather than short, term?

19. Options Inside a root ball Rootballed Container Grown

20. So…. Are the specifier’s of young trees aware of the varying production methods and their differences, the nursery practices essential for each to be successful, the different handling constraints of each method, the stress trees produced by each may be under because of lifting and planting and the condition of the root systems prior to planting?

21. Where does the nursery fit in? Politicians Nursery Engineers Landscape Contractors Arboricultural Contractors The Public Landscape Designers Local Authority Planners Landscape Architects Arboricultural Educators Local Authority Tree Officers Developers Consultants Architects

22. Conclusions Landscape Contractors Architects Landscape Designers The Public Politicians Engineers Consultants Nursery Landscape Architects Arboricultural Contractors Local Authority Planners Local Authority Tree Officers Arboricultural Educators Developers

23. So, should nurseries be considered as part of main stream arboriculture?

24. Thank you for listening.