TREES FOR TOWNS
Trees can revive ailing towns, Government
told ...
A PRESS RELEASE FROM GARDENING WHICH?
May 19, 2000
Planting trees can help to kick-start regeneration in
run-down towns and cities, the Government was told today.
And trees bring many other benefits to tightly packed town
dwellers - cleaner air, improved health, greater energy
efficiency and appreciably reduced stress levels.
If the Government's Urban White Paper is to achieve its
goal of drawing people back to our cities and promoting an
urban renaissance, then it must recognise the value of trees
and woodland in making cities cleaner, greener and
healthier. This is the message delivered to the members of
the Environment Select Committee working on the White Paper
in a
Trees
for Towns submission today.
According to
Trees
for Towns, an alliance between Consumers'
Association magazine Gardening Which? and leading national
and regional organisations concerned with trees in our towns
and cities, trees offer the government a simple and
cost-effective way to make our crowded cities more
attractive.
Ambra Edwards, spokesman for the group said, "Trees act
as urban air conditioners, producing oxygen and trapping
harmful pollutants. They support urban wildlife, offer real
benefits to human health, and have been shown to enhance an
area's economic prospects."
"Trees make a huge difference to the quality of life of
city dwellers, yet successive governments have been happy to
leave our legacy of urban trees to chance. The Urban White
Paper needs to do more than pay lip-service to urban trees.
It must contain substantial policies to protect and promote
them."
Among
Trees
for Towns recommendations are:
- Trees to be an integral part of local strategies for
public open space and of new green transport routes for
cyclists and pedestrians.
- Developers must be encouraged to accommodate new
and/or existing trees into new developments.
- Existing street trees must be protected from damage
by highway agencies and utilities companies digging up
the streets. The current voluntary guidelines should be
legally enforced.
Trees
for Towns is supported by Gardening Which?, The
Civic Trust, National Urban Forestry Unit, National
Association of Tree Officers, East Anglia Tree and Landscape
Officers Group, London Tree Officers Association, North West
Tree Officers Group, Tree Advice Trust, International
Society of Arboriculture (UK and Ireland chapter ) and
Trees
for London.
The Government's proposed Urban White Paper is expected
this autumn. The Government's Urban Task Force has set out
its vision with the publication of Towards an Urban
Renaissance.
Tree belts have been shown to be very effective in
trapping the pollutant PM10S which can aggravate asthma and
bronchitis. Trees can also absorb harmful gases such as
carbon. monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide, and
their shading cooling effect helps to prohibit the formation
of ozone.
For further information contact Ambra
Edwards/Colin Robertson at
Gardening Which?, 2 Marylebone Road, London NW1
4DF
Tel: (020) 7770 7290, Fax: (020) 7770 7676
Email:
ambra.edwards@which.net
or
colin.robertson@which.co.uk
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