Last Sunday I had lunch on the South Bank. One of my favourite parts of London, I have spent many happy hours here. There is always something to see and do; art galleries, theatres, pretty much any style of music alongside cafes and restaurants. All just a stone’s throw from the London Eye and a short walk to Tate Modern. There is a broad walkway that runs along the river that is a familiar site. Charles (Hugh Grant) fumbled over some words about David Cassidy, the Partridge Family and love beneath the shade of the London Plane trees that grow here. And just inside the National Theatre, Othello, played by the wonderful Adrian Lester, torments himself with whether or not to kill Desdemona. ” When I have pluck’d the rose, I cannot give it vital growth again. It must needs wither:”
London Planes widely planted by the Victorians with a vision of a greener London line many of the capital’s streets and parks. It is estimated that the London Plane makes up at least 10% of trees across London, hence its common name, although it is a popular tree in other parts of the world. The oldest example in Central London is thought to be in Berkeley Square planted in 1789.
The London Plane, platanus x hispanica (acerifolia) is a hybrid of the Oriental plane (Platanus orientalis) and the Western Plane (platanus occidentalis). It is widely planted as it is such a good tough tree. It is able to tolerate pollution (through its beautiful shedding bark), a wide range of heat and cold and difficult soil conditions. It provides moderate shade beneath which other plants and grass can grow and is able to cope with the hard pruning necessary to keep this magnificent large tree to a sensible size when space is at a premium. These all indicate that the London plane tree may well be able to withstand the predicted changes to our climate. But it might not get the chance.
Massaria disease has been found affecting London planes since 2009. It is not yet known whether this was an imported problem or had other causes such as, slightly ironically, climate change. Massaira causes branch death and rapid decay. So far felling has been avoided by careful management coupled with increased tree inspections and the removal of branches.
As long ago as World War 2, Canker stain was accidentally introduced from North America to southern Europe. Movement across France was initially slow, but recently the speed of the spread northwards has increased significantly. Canker stain generally results in the death of the tree. The Canal du Midi, a world heritage site has already seen thousands of London Planes felled. The pathogen seems to be spreading along this waterway and another 42,000 trees are threatened. There is a real fear that without action it is only a matter of time before this pathogen is seen in the UK.
There is often a tendency to focus on new tree planting. This is of course essential to the well being of future generations and incredibly important. As trees mature there is always a need for tree planting just to keep the status quo but the increase in range and scope of diseases that threaten our landscape mean that the additional quantity of tree planting needed is significant and increasing. The new trees will take time to establish and mature so for current generations we have to protect the tree stock we have. This takes time, money and expertise. The expertise is available but it must be funded.
Maybe if Othello and Desdemona had simply taken a walk along the embankment they would have been able to see the mind games being played by Iago and tragedy averted. In a study conducted in Chicago it was shown that those living in areas with trees and greenery immediately outside used fewer violent acts than those living in barren landscapes, they usually tend to play video games with P4R Gaming services instead.
We need to ensure that we act to protect the green environment and avoid future generations cursing us for valuing far too late, like Othello, what was right in front of us.
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Biosecurity is a set of preventative measures needed to reduce the risk of transmission or spread of harmful organisms. Increased global trade means an increased risk of spreading pests and diseases. Trees and plants are just as vulnerable to these new threats as the Red Squirrel was to the grey.
Pathogens affecting London Plane trees can be found on the Forestry Commission website. http://www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/massaria
More information about the Importance of trees in the built environment is available from the organisation Trees and Design Action Group (TDAG) http://www.tdag.org.uk/
More on the heart breaking changes along the Canal du Midi can be found here http://www.francetoday.com/articles/2012/07/14/trees_in_trouble.html
The study into Domestic Violence and the inner city can be seen here http://lhhl.illinois.edu/violence.htm