'Trees in the Townscape' a new guide

The Trees and Design Action Group (TDAG) has published a new guide on urban trees for all those involved in making or influencing the decisions that shape our neighbourhoods towns and cities.

With over 80% of the UK’s population living in urban settings, trees in and around built-up areas – which many call the “urban forest” – have become a key component of the infrastructure that makes places work, look and feel better.

Trees in the Townscape, a Guide for Decision Makers takes a 21st century approach to urban trees, one that keeps pace with and responds to the challenges of our times. It offers twelve action oriented principles spanning the range of planning, design, works and management issues that must be addressed for maximum economic, social and environmental returns.

Thirty-four case studies provide real-life examples of the principles in action, giving insight into best practice from all over England including Birmingham, Bristol, Hackney, Islington, Leeds, Newcastle, Oxford, Plymouth, Torbay, and Sefton as well as from further afield including the US and Hong Kong!

In keeping with TDAG’s ethos of raising awareness of the role of trees in the built environment by facilitating cross-sector and cross-disciplinary collaboration, the development of this new guide was based on over forty interviews and extensive consultation with civil engineers, insurers, developers, designers, planners, tree officers, sustainability specialists, arboriculturists, tree nursery managers, ecologists, academics and not-for-profit organisations dedicated to community engagement and trees.

This project also benefited from the generous financial support of an astoundingly diverse range of sponsors. The guide immediately received endorsement from eleven organisations, including the Forestry Commission, Bristol City Council, Birmingham City Council, York City Council, Torbay Council, Newcastle City Council, the London Borough of Hackney, Westminster City Council, the Victoria Business Improvement District, Peabody, Tor Homes.

Martin Kelly, Chair of TDAG, said:

“In the current challenging economic times, this guide provides timely advice on how to ensure that investment to solve one problem also delivers, where possible, solutions to others. Urban trees provide in this respect a fantastic resource.”

Pam Warhurst, Chair of the Forestry Commission, said:

"We have supported the TDAG right from the very beginning as a founding member. We are proud to have been so involved in this excellent guide to support crucial local decision-making. Our councillors, parish council members and communities involved in neighbourhood planning make important decisions that affect the quality of life for all of us. They can now use sound, practical advice on how to make space for trees in towns to ensure they grow to last a lifetime. Our urban forest - the population of trees across our towns - will be better protected, improved and expanded through this initiative."

Trees in the Townscape, a Guide for Decision Makers was launched alongside two other resources: a report quantifying and valuing tree benefits by the Victoria Business Improvement District and a toolkit on tree management for social landlords by Neighbourhoods Green. Together, these three resources provide the basis for a new departure in the way urban trees are used and integrated as part of the infrastructure that make places work.

The full guide, Trees in the Townscape, a Guide for Decision Makers, is available as a free PDF at www.tdag.org.uk/trees-in-the-townscape.html