1 October 2009
City visits Basque Country to learn about 500 year old tree
management technique
A delegation from the City of London Corporation arrived in
Spain today (Thursday 1 October) as part of a visit designed
to promote traditional tree management techniques.
Specialist staff from Epping Forest, Burnham Beeches and
Hampstead Heath will learn about beech pollarding, a sustainable
method of managing veteran trees that can be traced back over 500
years.
Participants will survey and work on pollarded trees in northern
Spain including in Leitza and Areso (Navarra) and Aiako Harria
Natural Park (Gipuzkoa) working with local arboricultural experts
and site managers, before returning to the UK on 9 October.
The visit is a follow up to one that took place in February 2007
when some 40 trees were pollarded using both traditional (with an
axe) and modern (using chainsaws) methods. After three summers the
responses of the trees will be evaluated in detail. It is hoped
that the results will improve the management of old trees in both
Spain and the UK. In addition, there have been visits of some
Basque people working on trees to City of London Open Spaces to
find out more about how we look after our old trees here.
Chairman of the City of London Open Spaces Committee Janet Owen
said: "The City owns over 10,000 acres of open spaces and is
committed to ensuring that these sites continue to serve and
inspire local communities. We look forward to working (NB we have
already worked with them quite a bit) with our counterparts in
Spain to build on our expertise in this field, which is essential
to maintaining and enhancing the range of beautiful woodlands that
we manage."
Helen Read, a conservation officer at the City of London, added:
"Epping Forest and Burnham Beeches are gradually re-introducing
traditional management techniques, such as grazing and pollarding,
to ensure that the veteran trees and their associated flora and
fauna survive for future generations to enjoy."
Pollarding is a traditional tree management technique that was
common place in England and regularly carried out in Epping Forest
and Burnham Beeches until around 200 years ago. A crop of wood was
obtained from the trees by removing branches but not felling the
tree, but animals were able to graze underneath without damaging
the branches. One consequence was that the trees cut regularly live
longer than normal and it is their great age that makes them so
important for biodiversity. Pollarding stopped when other fuels
became more widely available but these ‘lapsed’ pollards, those not
cut for many years, have many problems because the branches are now
very heavy and the trees are splitting and falling over.
Ends
Notes to editors
Press enquiries
Sanjay Odedra, Press Office, City of London Corporation
Tel 020 7332 1835 / Mob 07831 542 856
Email
sanjay.odedra@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Photos available upon request
About the City of London Corporation
The City of London Corporation is a uniquely diverse organisation.
It supports and promotes the City as the world leader in
international finance and business services and provides local
services and policing for those working in, living in and visiting
the Square Mile. It also provides valued services to London and the
nation. These include the Barbican Centre and the Guildhall School
of Music & Drama; the Guildhall Library and Art Gallery and
London Metropolitan Archive; a range of education provision
(including three City Academies); five Thames bridges (including
Tower Bridge and the Millennium Bridge); the Central Criminal Court
at Old Bailey; over 10,000 acres of open spaces (including
Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest), and three wholesale food
markets. It is also London’s Port Health Authority and runs the
Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow. It works in partnership with
neighbouring boroughs on the regeneration of surrounding areas and
the City Bridge Trust, which it oversees, donates more than £15m to
charity annually.
Burnham Beeches
Now regarded as one of the best examples of ancient woodland in
Britain, Burnham Beeches in Buckinghamshire was acquired by the
City of London in 1880, in response to a threatened purchase by
residential developers. Despite its relatively small size of 220
hectares (540 acres), Burnham Beeches attracts around 500,000
visitors a year, who appreciate its tranquillity as well as its
rich diversity of habitats and wildlife.
Epping Forest
Epping Forest, a major public open space and a site of
international importance for its cultural and wildlife value, is
owned and managed by the City of London. Since the 1870’s it has
had a policy of protecting open spaces for the enjoyment of
Londoners. This policy was subsequently adopted by central and
local government and the Green Belt was born.
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath is the collective name for Parliament Hill and
Golders Hill, a total of 791 acres (320 hectares). The Heath is
situated just four miles from the centre of London and falls within
two London Boroughs, Camden and Barnet. The City of London
Corporation has managed all of Hampstead Heath, apart from the
Kenwood area, since 1989, and has a long established policy of
protecting open spaces in and around London for the enjoyment of
the public, at no cost to the local ratepayer.