Unsustainable Arboriculture
Ancient woodland and ancient trees have inadequate protection in the legal system. The link to the petition below, the government hopes to change that, by gaining sufficient signatures to qualify for discussion in parliament.
There is no legal requirement to incorporate objective tree value in the planning system; this means decisions may be based on objective economic value of development, which may well be sufficient to trump subjective value of trees and woodland. This is particularly concerning given that government research indicates a net loss of both mature urban trees and their replacement plantings in England and Wales (Trees in Towns II 2008, Tree Cover in Wales Towns & Cities NRW 2012).
As civil projects and utilities are large scale and essentially exempt from planning, their impacts can be catastrophic for landscape trees and woodlands.
Paolo Bavaresco – Chartered Arboriculturist
Sign the petition