Trees, Science and Opinion
6th November 2018
It has been reported that 32 of the 35 war memorial trees which were scheduled to be felled are set to be saved using engineering solutions. Councillor Lewis Dagnall, Cabinet Member for Environment and Streetscene, said: I am confirming that we have developed a plan to retain 32 of the 35 war memorial trees that were originally earmarked for replacement…“Residents have been clear with me that they would like war memorial trees to be treated as a special case.” Green Party […]
31st July 2018
The North-South divide in the UK is inescapable, not only in economic terms but also in areas such as culture, health, life expectancy and transport. New evidence suggests a nation already divided along geo-political and economic lines, may also be divided arboriculturally. A recent Sunday Times article revealed that ‘More than 110,000 trees have been chopped down in three years by councils across the UK — equivalent to a sixth of the size of Sherwood Forest … According to Defra, […]
22nd June 2018
Many companies in the environmental and planning sectors now offer ‘arboricultural services’. From large multi-national consultancies to smaller ecologists or landscape architect companies – there are an increasing number of slick websites offering ‘tree surveys for planning’. As these professions deal with the environment or ‘green stuff’, is there much difference? Is it worth seeking out a specialised arboricultural consultant or could some other environmental professional undertake a tree survey for planning and development purposes? Perhaps unsurprisingly, our view at […]
10th May 2018
Sheffield has a lot of trees. This fact makes Sheffield a great place to live and work. AWA Tree Consultants are based in the heart of Sheffield and all our arboriculturists live in or near the city. Sheffield’s various trees collectively form our urban forest. Components of the urban forest range from isolated individual trees, lines of trees alongside roads and wider groups of amenity trees’ in parks, to urban woodlands. The trees in Sheffield’s urban forest are owned and […]
30th April 2018
AWA Tree Consultants went to a recent half-day event: Trees in the Planning Process. It was hosted in Oxford by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) South East and the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF). The RTPI South East provides a range of services for members in the region. It offers affordable seminars and events for professional development, and acts as a champion for planning. The event was co-hosted by the ICF, which is the UK’s Royal Chartered professional body […]
6th March 2018
The Arboricultural Association is the leading voice on all tree matters in the UK, they provide a home and membership for all professionals within the arboricultural sector – from qualified and experienced arboricultural consultants to those starting out in the industry – they champion the sustainable management of trees in places where people live work and play – for the benefit of Society. All the tree surveyors and arboriculturists at AWA Tree Consultants are members of the Arboricultural Association, either […]
18th October 2017
Forest Research, the research agency of the Forestry Commission, publishes tree pest and disease alerts and advisory notes in the form of bulletins and handbills, showing signs and symptoms of tree pests and diseases and advice on what to do if you suspect the pest or disease is present. This bulletin is a lighthearted parody of their pest and disease alerts, it’s intended to make us think how we would react if Private Finance Initiatives, or PFI, were a destructive […]
9th October 2017
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ― Albert Camus Trees display a vast array of impressive colours throughout autumn. These various hues of yellows, oranges, pinks, reds and browns are what provide most of us the first real indication that the seasons are changing. They provide us with a final colourful spectacle before winter sets in – the year’s last, loveliest smile. The changing leaves on the trees are the main association most of […]
16th February 2017
There is a Japanese term “Komorebi”, for which no simple English translation exists. Yet it is a distinct phenomenon, that anyone who spends time among trees will have enjoyed. Komorebi roughly translates as “the scattered light that filters through when sunlight shines through trees”. It is made up of three “Kanji” or Chinese characters: “tree” or “trees”, “leaking-through” or “escape”, and “light” or “sun”. Komorebi is especially noticeable when the sun is low, and mist or smoke can add to the […]
17th December 2016
The Sheffield Telegraph runs a debate feature every week called Telegraph Voices. A journalist contacted me last week, to take part in a debate entitled: ‘How can Sheffield heal divisions over the tree-felling controversy?’ As ever, it’s tricky to cover such an emotive and complex issue – and to suggest pragmatic solutions – in just 300 words. “There is little room for sentimentality when managing urban trees. Eventually every street tree will decline and need to be replaced. Some protesters […]