Ealing’s Trees

Ealing is one of the greenest boroughs in London and has long held the reputation as the ‘Queen of the Suburbs’. This is largely due to its spectacular parks and Ealing’s extensive street tree planting which integrates the natural world into our urban environment. We are Tree Surgery W5.

 

By choosing the right trees and maintaining them well, trees can greatly enhance our streets and open spaces. Unfortunately people don’t always recognise the importance of trees, especially in London. Trees play a major part in the urban environment and ecosystem; trees help to keep our environment healthy. They also add bute to the prevention of ozone layer depletion; they provide habitats for wildlife; food and materials for us. Most of all trees help to improve the quality of the air that on which we depend.

 

Ealing’s residents often make their views on trees known to the Council. They express how much they love trees and their concern for what is perceived to be over pruning or unnecessary tree removal. There are also complaints about the negative effects of trees and often, these seemingly opposing views are expressed at the same time. The overwhelming message however appears to be that Ealing’s trees are very much appreciated in beautifying the neighbourhoods. However care must be taken to plant the right trees and ensure that they are maintained appropriately.  Therefore this should be done in accordance with good Arboricultural practice.

 

Ealing’s trees are becoming increasingly valuable as Ealing Council face the challenges of climate change. Trees can play an important role in cooling our towns. They reduce the heat island effect and they have the ability to absorb large amounts of water, to help reduce the risk of flooding.

 

Trees owned by Ealing’s residents and businesses form a substantial part of the urban tree stock as a whole. The Council’s vision is to increase and enhance the whole of the urban tree stock for the enjoyment of current and future generations.  They also ensure that trees remain a defining feature of the splendid suburban borough that is Ealing.

 

Why Trees are Important to Ealing

 

The London Borough of Ealing is one of the greenest boroughs in London and contains tree lined streets and many parks and green spaces. The Council is rightly proud of these features that offer not only aesthetic and wildlife value but many environmental, economic and social benefits too. Trees enhance the quality of life for people living in the borough. They are often the only significant vegetation growing in the most densely developed areas. Some the most noticeable benefits that trees provide include:

 

Environmental Benefits of Trees

 

• Trees help mitigate the risk of flooding as their leaves intercept rain water and through transpiration and evaporation return it to the atmosphere. This is likely to become increasingly important as climate change predictions are that winters will become warmer and wetter.
• In adapting to the effects of climate change trees will offer further value by cooling the urban environment.  They also reduce the heat island effect during the anticipated hotter dryer summers.
• Trees provide a source of carbon-neutral renewable energy.
• Trees filter gaseous pollutants from the air and trap dust particles which are then washed to the ground by rai. Hence improving the air quality.

 

Biodiversity Benefits of Trees

 

• Trees provide habitat for wildlife. Over-mature trees and those with dead wood and cavities are particularly valuable for bats, birds and invertebrates.
• The borough’s woodlands support a large number of insects many of which are rare.
• Ealing’s extensive matrix of street tree planting is important as it creates links between parks and other open spaces. Thus allowing wildlife to travel between sites.

 

Economic Benefits of Trees 

 

• The by-products can be sold to create income or provide saving son the purchase of timber.  As well as wood chip and mulch.
• The employment of specialist arborists and arboriculturists contributes to the wider economy.
• Tree lined streets have been shown to increase residential property values.
• Trees indirectly promote the use of retail areas by creating an attractive environment for people to shop.

 

Aesthetic Benefits of Trees

 

• They make a significant impact on the landscape, and many taller trees form skyline features in their own right.
• Smaller trees contribute by softening the urban landscape and often provide valuable screening and privacy.
• They provide an important link to the past and complement the character of conservation areas and historic buildings.

 

Health and Social Benefits of Trees

 

• They create a distinctive landscape and impart an appreciation of a place.
• Trees provide connection to the natural world for those who might otherwise not experience green space.
• Large mature trees provide a sense of history, longevity and permanency.
• Trees create space for relaxation which helps to provide relief from stress and enhance emotional well being.
• They reduce the incidence of asthma and breathing difficulties by providing cleaner air.
• Trees offer valuable shade and reduce the potential risks of skin cancer.
• They have been shown to speed up the recovery times of patients in hospital.
• Trees provide an outdoor classroom for education about the natural world.
• Trees release scents and colours that can stimulate emotional good feeling.
• Finally trees communicate the changing of the seasons.

Protecting Privately Owned Trees

 

Ealing Council use Tree Preservation Order (TPO) and Conservation Area legislation to ensure that trees of amenity value are protected. In accordance with the Town and Country Planning legislation the council will seek to protect and preserve trees of high amenity value. This is done through the careful consideration of TPO and Conservation area applications.

 

Trees in Conservation Areas

 

The Council will respond to all notifications of works to trees within Conservation Areas within 6 weeks of registration. Any person wishing to remove or undertake works to a tree within a Conservation Area is needed to give 6 weeks notification.  This is done using the Council using an application form. The Council will register, assess and respond to all notifications within 6 weeks.

 

Tree Preservation Orders (TPO)

 

Anyone wishing to remove or undertake pruning works under a TPO is needed by law to make a formal application to the borough. Care should be taken in completely the form.  Importantly applications that are incomplete or lacking sufficient information to determine the proposal will not be registered. Once the application has been registered it will be assessed and a decision notice will be issued within 8 weeks, detailing the outcome of the process.

 

Tree owners carrying out permitted development to their property next to to protected trees may also need permission before starting work. If the development is likely to lead to the severing of roots or branches to facilitate the build.

 

Unauthorised Works or Removal of Protected Trees

 

The Council will seek to prosecute any person(s) who carries out or allows another to carry out on his/her behalf unauthorised works to a tree protected by a Tree Preservation Order or within a Conservation Area.

 

Unauthorised works are defined as:

• The removal or pruning of any part of the tree protected by a TPO without the approval of the Planning authority or
• The removal or pruning of any part of the tree within a Conservation Area which the Council has not been given prior formal notification of.

 

The law provides for a few exceptions to prosecution; for example if a tree is dead or dangerous, in which case formal authorisation may not needed. However, landowners should note that the burden of proof to show, on the balance of probabilities, that the tree was dead or dangerous rests with the defendant. The Council advises landowners using the exemption to forward supporting documentation (photographs, reports) at their earliest convenience. If the Council investigates and landowners are not able to adequately justify the exemption they will be considered in breach of the regulations and liable to prosecution.

 

Review of Tree Preservation Orders (TPO)

 

The Council will seek to; carry out a review of its TPOs and update the records accordingly. They also maintain these details in publicly-available electronic records.

 

Many of the borough’s TPO records are old and in need of updating. Some of the trees protected by TPO have died, whilst other trees have grown and are now in need of protection. The orders are largely recorded in paper files and there is a desire to update this to an electronic system which can be accessed by the public online.

 

Unprotected Trees Outside of Conservation Area

 

A large proportion of Ealing Borough is not included in conservation areas and, if trees are not protected by TPO, there is no need for the Council to be informed of any proposed works. Often very significant landscape trees are removed for development purposes.  As a result there can be a significant difference in the character of the land within a conservation area. Ealing Council seek to identify important/special trees location outside of conservation areas and protect those worthy of Tree Preservation Orders.

 

Species Diversity

 

The Council has historically planted a wide variety of tree species. Therefore there is great species variety across most council and within the street tree planting.

 

Ealing’s parks, open spaces and cemeteries support some of Ealing’s oldest and largest trees. Large trees are often landscape features in their own right and are of significant historical value. These giants of Ealing’s parks display the many benefits of trees on a grand scale. They offer vast areas of shade, filter out air pollution. They also  enhance the landscape of green spaces while providing valuable habitat for wildlife. The Council will seek to retain and nurture these large trees and where appropriate plant new trees that have the potential to become landscape features for the future.

Limes and Planes

Large London Place and Lime trees can also be found in the Victorian and Edwardian streets of Acton, Ealing, Hanwell and Southall. These are now large trees growing in narrow streets and consequently they need regular pruning.  This is to contain them within their available space and to prevent them from becoming a legal nuisance. Ealing’s 4,300 Lime trees also have works carried out twice annually to remove the reactive sucker growth. This growth is from around the stem and tree base.

 

Limes and Planes may be the most noticeable street trees but the borough also supports large numbers of small trees. These include Cherry, Maple, Sorbus and Apple. Whilst these smaller trees do not have the same individual impact of the large historic trees, they are much more prevalent.   Therefore the smaller trees represent approximately 70% of the street tree population and are significant valuable resources. Through most of their life (up to 50 years) these smaller tree species present very few challenges to tree management and their limited size means they rarely cause canopy shade/size nuisance concerns. It is generally only at maturity, 50 years plus that these trees begin to present problems at which point they are considered for removal and replanting.

 

Tree Pests and Diseases

 

One of the greatest challenges facing the local and national tree population is the control and containment of new pests and diseases from outside the UK. New pests and diseases are now flourishing in the UK due to the increased international trade in plants, timber and general goods. One of the most recent and significant pests introductions is Oak Processionary Moth.  This now needs extensive treatment annually to contain its spread, limit the damage is does to the Oak tree stock, and reduce the potential cost to the Council.

 

In combatting the new UK pests and diseases, it is important to ensure the future continuity of tree cover across the borough by, where practical, managing the age range of trees and by replanting with a varied pest and disease tolerant range of species. It is also important to consider the practicalities of species distribution locally. A planting and renewal programme to improve species distribution will go some way to ensuring that the borough of Ealing has a diverse and varied tree population for the future.

 

Tree Related Building Damage

 

Subsidence caused by trees is generally only a problem in areas that contain shrinkable London clays. Clay displays volumetric changes under different levels of moisture content. It shrinks when moisture is removed and swells when moisture is replaced. This movement can be passed to the building above. This may then produce visible signs of cracking through the brickwork and internal plaster. Hence in areas dominated by London Clay and/or where the Council has a high frequency of previous subsidence claims, it is important to carefully consider the frequency and approach to tree management.

 

Furthermore, different tree species remove water at different rates (by transpiration). Some are high water demanders e.g. Poplar, Willow, Oak, and others are low e.g. Birch, Sorbus, Malus. This water demand also varies according to a tree’s age class. A large mature tree which is physiologically stable or in decline may actually be using less water than a smaller tree which is growing vigorously and transpiring at a greater rate. The council will seek to identify the areas and trees of high risk.  This is to facilitate the most appropriate tree management and seek to reduce the future risk of insurance claims.

Information collected from Ealing’s Borough’s Tree Strategy 2013-2018.

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