Trees for Redbridge Why Urban Trees? January 2015

Transcription

1 Trees for Redbridge Why Urban Trees? January 2015 Figure TDAG

2 Contents Why Urban Trees 3 The Knowledge Tree 9 Benefits of Trees 4 Green Benefits 5 The Financial Case 6 Asset Management Approach 7 The Legal Status 10 Selected Policies: NPPF 11 Selected Policies: The London Plan 11 References 12 Challenges for Urban Trees 8 Acknowledgement Original version written by Lars Christian for London Borough of Redbridge 2

3 Why Urban Trees 3 Trees for Cities 2014

4 Benefits of Urban Trees Energy Reduction Trees help improve the environmental performance of buildings a well planted development can lower heating and cooling costs by up to 20%. Asset Value Increase Maximise your investment. Trees have the potential to increase property values by 7% to 15%. Environmental Enhancements Turn off the air conditioning and turn down the heating. Urban trees help reduce temperature extremes. Social Improvements Evidence has shown that in some locations areas with high numbers of trees experience less crime. Sound and Noise Trees also help to reduce noise pollution, absorbing and deflecting sound. Safer Streets Tree lined streets promote calmer driving so are safer for pedestrians and thus enhance both walking and cycling. Carbon Reduction. Tree planting in urban areas is a great way to give something back to the environment. Trees are highly 'carbon smart' and, as well as absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide, can help mitigate against climate change in a number of ways: Trees can also save as much as 10% of annual energy consumption around buildings by moderating the local climate keeping it cool in summer and warmer in winter. Tree canopies reduce rainstorm impact and provide a natural alternative to resourceheavy flood control systems that depend on hard engineering. Trees help to filter harmful pollutants from the air, making areas with many trees healthier places to be than areas without trees. Trees create vital wildlife habitats, enabling more species to thrive in their surroundings. Urban Biodiversity. Trees in cities and towns provide a wealth of benefits relating to biodiversity. They support a great variety of wildlife in some of the harshest locations in our urban areas. Native species of trees are particularly important having been around for thousands of years and many hundreds of different species have developed over time to be dependent on them. Willows alone offer food and habitat for over 450 species, many of these are insects that then themselves provide food for birds. Urban Pollution. A large beech tree can provide enough oxygen for the daily requirements of ten people, and catches dust and pollutants on its leaves. Trees have a positive impact on the incidence of asthma, skin cancer and stress related illness by filtering out polluted air; they also reduce smog formation and shade out solar radiation. Perceived Safety. When Trees for Cities completed a planting along my street, they really gave the street back to the community. By making the roads look more pleasant, more appealing and less threatening, pedestrians started to use them more. And with people using my street more, my neighbours and I feel much safer out there. Energy Reduction. The average UK home could save up to a tenth of its annual heating and cooling expenditure with the natural winter insulation and summer shade provided by trees. In the summer months, deciduous trees provide shade on the southern aspect of a building. And because these trees are deciduous, their leaves fall in autumn, allowing sunshine to warm the house during the winter months. Source: Trees For Cities 2014 Create a Sense of Place Trees help to improve local identity. Large species trees equal big improvements. Trees can encourage social activities in areas with higher tree numbers, creating stronger and friendlier communities. Health and Well Being Trees improve the urban environment. Trees and urban greening may reduce stress levels and increase well being. Reducing Floods Trees help reduce the effects of flash flooding by intercepting rainfall and can readily absorb water through their fibrous roots. Wildlife Enhancements Tree planting is a great way of increasing biodiversity. They are a major element in creating urban green links and wildlife corridors, as part of green infrastructure. Source: TDAG

5 Figure TDAG

6 The Financial Case Forestry Commission (2010) 6

7 Asset Management Approach The value of trees can inform the strategic process Results from valuation can be used to support a wide range of activities, including: Strategic planning to clarify the key services delivered by the urban forest and how these compare to local priorities and expectations. Financial planning asset management best practices recommend that the amount spent in management and maintenance is commensurate to the asset value. Risk management to balance risks and benefits. Compensation issues for damage to public trees A typical mature London plane is valued at over 4000 and stores almost 2 tonnes of carbon. A typical mature wild cherry is valued at over 500 and stores almost ¼ tonne of carbon. A typical mature Italian alder is valued at over 500 and stores almost ¼ tonne of carbon. Source: Victoria BID

8 Challenges for Urban Trees 8 Tree Design Action Group 2011

9 Figure TDAG

10 The Legal Status Other Laws 10 Forestry Commission (2010)

11 Selected Policies: NPPF 9 Pursuing sustainable development involves seeking positive improvements in the quality of the built, natural and historic environment including moving from a net loss of bio diversity to achieving net gains for nature; replacing poor design with better design The Government attaches great importance to the design of the built environment. Good design is a key aspect of sustainable development, is indivisible from good planning, and should contribute positively to making places better for people. 57 It is important to plan positively for the achievement of high quality and inclusive design for all development, including individual buildings, public and private spaces and wider area development schemes. 58 Such policies should be based on stated objectives for the future of the area and an understanding and evaluation of its defining characteristics. Planning policies and decisions should aim to ensure that developments: will function well and add to the overall quality of the area, not just for the short term but over the lifetime of the development; establish a strong sense of place, using streetscapes and buildings to create attractive and comfortable places to live, work and visit respond to local character and history, and reflect the identity of local surroundings and materials, while not preventing or discouraging appropriate innovation are visually attractive as a result of good architecture and appropriate landscaping. 59 Local planning authorities should consider using design codes where they could help deliver high quality outcomes It is, however, proper to seek to promote or reinforce local distinctiveness. 61 Therefore, planning policies and decisions should address the connections between people and places and the integration of new development into the natural, built and historic environment. 63 In determining applications, great weight should be given to outstanding or innovative designs which help raise the standard of design more generally in the area. 64 Permission should be refused for development of poor design that fails to take the opportunities available for improving the character and quality of an area and the way it functions. 156 Local planning authorities should include strategic policies to deliver climate change mitigation and adaptation, conservation and enhancement of the natural and historic environment, including landscape. Source: National Planning Policy Framework March

12 Selected Policies: The London Plan Green policy signposts from the spatial development strategy 2.15 Development proposals in town centres should contribute towards an enhanced environment, urban greening, public realm and links to green infrastructure. 3.2 coordinating planning and action on the environment 5.10 Development proposals should integrate green infrastructure from the beginning of the design process to contribute to urban greening include tree planting, green roofs and walls, and soft landscaping Development should utilise sustainable urban drainage systems such as porous surfaces in non clay areas 7.1 The design of new buildings and the spaces they create should help reinforce or enhance the character, legibility, permeability and accessibility of the neighbourhood. 7.5 opportunity for greening (such as through planting of trees and other soft landscaping wherever possible) should be maximised Development proposals should wherever possible, make a positive contribution to the protection, enhancement, creation and management of biodiversity. Source: The London Plan 2011 Londoners Love Trees In London, Trees for Cities work with the Mayor s Re:LEAF partnership to increase canopy cover from 20% to 25% by 2025 to help the city adapt to cope with extreme heat and flooding. In London they plant 15,000 trees per year with volunteers. Their model engages local people so that they have ownership over their trees, and has proven success with a 95% survival rate (of the trees!) well over the UK average. Trees for Cities focus on areas where the social and environmental impact on local people is greatest: in London this might mean planting trees for shade in the playground, where temperatures soar ( Play it Cool ). 12

13 References Tree Bristol Tree canopy cover by area or other category (pdf, 16.9 MB) aspires to increase tree canopy cover from 14% to 30% Bristol Tree Forum Tree Bristol sponsorship Tree Pips project: hopes to plant 36,000 trees across Bristol over the next three years Ealing Tree Strategy p Haringey Tree Strategy 2008 Islington Interactive map Christopher Neilan 2008: CAVAT: Full Method: User s Guide Kensington & Chelsea Tree Strategy2009? 58p Manchester Tree wardens leaflet (pdf) Reading Tree Strategy 2010 Southwark Tree Management Strategy p Westminster Trees and the Public Realm A Tree Strategy for Westminster 2009 Green Benefits in Victoria Business improvement District 2012 Oslo: Bedre beskyttelse av byens trær 37MB: Better (legal) protection of urban trees Forestry Commission Forestry Commission Research Report 2010 (pdf, 2.0 MB) The Case for Trees (pdf) London Tree Officers Association London Tree Officers Association cases involving trees Londoners Love Trees wardens/londoners love trees B&D, Lew, Waw, Swk, Elg, City, Isl Trees Design Action Group 10 Point Action Plan pdf Trees in the Townscape, A Guide for Decision Makers (2012) 12 principles of best practice for all those involved in local decision making to ensure that our 21st century towns and cities are underpinned by a 21st century approach to urban trees, for maximum economic, social and environmental returns The Canopy (2011) A concise guide for designers, developers and planners on benefits and available solutions for incorporating trees into dense urban environments. No Trees, No Future (2010) An introduction on the role of trees and key best practices to ensure new developments make the most of the financial, social and environmental value trees can contribute to places. 13

14 References II Arboricultural Association An Introduction to trees and their management (pdf 2p) Tree work: Choosing your arborist (pdf 2p) Trees in Towns II (2008). This government commissioned report will be invaluable to those engaged in establishing policies and setting appropriate levels of resources to plan, develop, and manage robust urban tree populations. The 36 page Executive Summary can be downloaded for free at gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/treesintownsii.pdf The benefits of large species trees in urban landscapes; a costing, design and management guide. A comprehensive guide aimed at the construction industry produced by CIRIA in 2012 available for purchase at Trees Matter: Bringing Lasting Benefits to People in Towns. Produced by the National Urban Forestry Unit and Trees for Cities in 2005 available at Tree For Cities Best Practice Guidelines TfC BestPractice StreetTrees TfC BestPractice EthnicMinorities TfC BestPractice YoungPeople TfC BestPractice BusinessParticipation TfC BestPractice VocationalTraining TfC BestPractice Volunteering Securing Urban Trees Through Community Involvement Trees Matter Environment Gill SE, Handley JF, Ennos AR and Pauleit, S (2007) Adapting Cities for Climate Change: the Role of the Green Infrastructure. Built Environment 33 (1) pp Economic Anderson LM and Cordel HK (1988) Influence of Trees on Residential Property Values in Athens, Georgia: A Survey Based on Actual Sales Prices, Landscape and Urban Planning 15: Morales DJ (1980) The Contribution of Trees to Residential Property Value: Journal of Arboriculture 6 (11): CABE Space (2005) Does Money Grow on Trees? The benefits of urban green space Social National Urban Forestry Unit (1999) Trees and Healthy Living, National Conference, Wolverhampton, UK, National Urban Forestry Unit, Wolverhampton Mudrak LY (1982) In the Environmental Benefits of Vegetation at a Global Local and Personal Level: A Review of the Literature, Green Releaf, Horticultural Trades Association and Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew Health and Well being National Urban Forestry Unit (1999) Trees and Healthy Living, National Conference, Wolverhampton, UK, National Urban Forestry Unit, Wolverhampton Mudrak LY (1982) In the Environmental Benefits of Vegetation at a Global Local and Personal Level: A Review of the Literature, Green Releaf, Horticultural Trades Association and Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew 14