Trees and thank you

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castiron73
Posts: 132
Joined: 24 Oct 2006 10:05
Location: Sydenham Thorpes

Trees and thank you

Post by castiron73 »

I just wanted to say hurrah and thank you to the council for planting so many trees in recent weeks (to replace ones lost around the Thorpes and the streets by Mayow Park). They're a good size too.
Tim Lund
Posts: 6718
Joined: 13 Mar 2008 18:10
Location: Silverdale

Post by Tim Lund »

What species are they planting? I was thinking of getting together a list of good examples of different species in the area. There's a Douglas Fir in Kent House Road I like, and would put an image of here, except that this system doesn't seem to like PicasaWeb URLs:

Image

There's also a magnificent Dawn Redwood in Mayow Park, and a big Nespolo (Japanese Medlar) at the bottom of Sydenham Road. The Friends of Mayow Park are going to do another tree walk later this year - there are quite a few other species, and losts of rather elderly oaks. Anyone else have any fav trees in the area? Probably loads in Wells Park, but that's not my end of Sydenham.
simon
Posts: 966
Joined: 11 Oct 2006 15:35
Location: Longton Avenue

Post by simon »

Yes, thanks Lewisham. We've lost a few on KPR and we asked the coincil to relplace them, backed up by a petittion, and they planted four new ones recently. We lost another in the storm a couple of weeks ago and we've decided if the council wont replace it we'll club together and plant one.
Tim, I dont know what species it is but the tree next to the bowling green at the Mayo Road entrance of Mayo Park is my favourite. Tall and symetrical, it appears an evergreen but sheds all its leaves once a year. Guess I'll have to get on the next tree walk.
Tim Lund
Posts: 6718
Joined: 13 Mar 2008 18:10
Location: Silverdale

Post by Tim Lund »

Simon - that's the Dawn Redwood I was talking about. Even better in Latin - Matasequoia glyptostroboides. Look at these pictures of it. There's a whole line of them along Wells Park Road, but not so impressive. http://picasaweb.google.com/TimLundSE26/MayowPark
poppy
Posts: 574
Joined: 1 Sep 2007 20:03
Location: Sydenham

trees

Post by poppy »

Which are the best trees for residential roads? Ie. ones which pose the least risk to properties. I contacted the council a while ago about having one outside our house where there seems like there was one in the past but our neighbours were not that keen.

I think Kirkdale could really do with more trees. It would make the street far more attractive and a nicer gateway to Sydenham.

There is a scheme the council run, can't remember the name, which helps you (funds?) new trees. Can anyone remind me what it is called. I have lost the details?
Ta
Tim Lund
Posts: 6718
Joined: 13 Mar 2008 18:10
Location: Silverdale

Post by Tim Lund »

Some which they like planting in streets are Rowan and Whitebeam - same sorbus family. I'm not sure why, but I would imagine it's a combination of (1) them being native species; (2) not growing too tall; (3) having fruit, which is attractive for birds in winter; and (4) being quite attractive. Maybe I'll research this - what the council does like planting and why.
poppy
Posts: 574
Joined: 1 Sep 2007 20:03
Location: Sydenham

trees

Post by poppy »

I just wondered how the scheme worked. Whether you were given a choice and if we do go ahead with it in the future I would like to be clued up on which would look best but be a subsidence risk.
Tim Lund
Posts: 6718
Joined: 13 Mar 2008 18:10
Location: Silverdale

Post by Tim Lund »

I'll try to find out about this, but on the subsidence risk I think it's a fairly straightforward consequence of plant physiology - trees with all those leaves take water from the soil and pump it out into the atmosphere, and big trees do it in a big way, so they'll cause drying out and subsidence if too close to a building. Those sorbuses are fairly modest.
poppy
Posts: 574
Joined: 1 Sep 2007 20:03
Location: Sydenham

trees

Post by poppy »

I know all about the nightmare of subsidence, a large poplar and a problem with drains caused it at my old flat. I think I will just research myself which trees are less of a problem because of size etc. I just wondered if anyone had direct experience of getting these trees from the council and whether they were given a choice and information etc.
Tim Lund
Posts: 6718
Joined: 13 Mar 2008 18:10
Location: Silverdale

Post by Tim Lund »

I've been told of a newsletter from Halifax Home Insurance, who have created their own Tree Scene Investigation teams. Their "Head of Subsidence" said about a year ago: "I'm pleased to say that this scientific approach means trees are rarely damaged, let alone removed".

If you want the science, here it is http://www.bre.co.uk/filelibrary/rpts/w ... c_summ.pdf

This is what the office of the Mayor of London says about trees in general
http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/environm ... latest.jsp, including this quote:
Trees are routinely identified as the cause of building subsidence, although this is more often not the case.
Is it too cynical to suggest that when mortgage lenders are keener to find reasons not to lend, they will start scapegoating trees again?
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