LTOA's 30th anniversary party on 13 December 2013 at Eastern Garden Curve, Hackney

Our 30th anniversary party / Xmas party was a huge success at the Dalston Eastern Curve garden as you can see from some of the party photos below. This community garden was a fantastic venue.

The RE:LEAF Awards 2013

RE:LEAF Awards  – Celebrating a leafier London

Londoners who can capture the immense value of London's trees and woodlands through poetry, prose, photography or posters are invited to enter this year’s RE:LEAF Awards. The ‘creative’ category joins five others for the fifth year of these prestigious awards (previously known as the London Tree and Woodland Awards.

RE:LEAF is an initiative supported by the Mayor of London , Boris Johnson, which aims to protect the capital's trees and woodlands and to encourage individual Londoners, businesses and organisations to plant more trees and increase and improve woodland management in the capital.

The awards recognise and celebrate the projects, and the individuals, groups and organisations, that are making significant contribution to RE:LEAF.

Craig Harrison, the Forestry Commission’s Manager for London said:

“London's trees and woodlands are loved by those who live and work in our capital city for making our streets more attractive and offering shelter from the sun as well as providing a long-term habitat for wildlife, reducing pollution and helping to mitigate against climate change”.

“These awards recognise those organisations, individuals and schools that help to improve London through their dedication to trees and woodlands.”

The categories this year are:

• The Street Tree Award – for an exceptionally successful street tree project in 2011
• The Communities Tree and Woodland Award -for the most innovative tree and woodland project involving local communities
• The Tree Council’s Trees and Learning Award - for good practice in planting trees by young people or raising awareness and understanding in schools or with youth groups.
• The RE:LEAF ‘Acorn’ Award – for exceptional success and dedication of an individual member of the public to trees and woodlands in London.
• The RE:LEAF Creative Award – for an innovative and creative piece of work which promotes the value of trees to London and Londoners.
• The London Tree Officers Award for individual commitment by a professional employed in the care of trees and woodlands in London.

The deadline for receiving nominations is Friday 15th March 2013 and the Awards will be presented at an invited evening reception on 15th May in the London Living Room at the top of City Hall.

Details on the awards, categories and how/where to apply are available on the Forestry Commission London web site at http://www.forestry.gov.uk/releafawards

The Barriers and Drivers to Tree Planting and Retention in Urban Areas

As part of supporting The Big Tree Plant Defra tasked the Forestry Commission to set up a Working Group of partners to highlight the main barriers and drivers to both planting new trees and retaining existing ones within urban areas. This recently released report highlights potential solutions through recommendations from the Working Group and is intended to provide a platform for discussion with the relevant sectors that are perceived to be contributing to the barriers listed. It is hoped that the report will encourage constructive dialogue and assist in challenging some of the more entrenched issues around the provision of trees in urban areas.

Members of the Working Group will be liasing with the various sectors and a final inclusive report will be published, with it is hoped real progress being made in overcoming the issues raised.

Click here to view the full report (Adobe Acrobat PDF - 141KB)

Update on the current LTOA working parties

The Biosecurity working party is made up of Ben Clutterbuck (Consultant) , Dave Lofthouse (Merton), Tim Gould (Consultant), Jake Tibbetts (Islington), Daniel Sitch (Merton). Ben Clutterbuck is the chair. They were preparing the methodology and technical aspects of a centrally held database of London Borough pest, disease or other biosecurity but we may be able to get this data through the FC OPM mapping project.

The Salt damage working party is made up of Glynn Percival (Bartletts), Graham Mollison (Bexley), Mike Turner (Royal Parks), Nigel Browning (Croydon). The last two meetings over a year ago had to be cancelled at the last minute due to people dropping out. We are currently recruiting new members to resurrect this group.

The Training working party is made up of Jake Tibbetts (Islington), Andy Lederer (Islington), Dave Houghton (Camden), Lawrence Usherwood (Brent), Lawrence Usherwood is the chair. This working party met a couple of times early 2012. It was in the process of designing paid training courses over and above the 4 free seminars provided to members in the year e.g. NJUG.

The CCTV and trees working party is made up of Jim Chambers (Islington), Dave Lofthouse (Merton), Chris Colwell (Westminster), Pamela Holt (Barnet), Rob Butcher (Camden). Jim Chambers is the chair. The text and flow diagram for a guidance note is nearly complete and Jim Chambers, Dave Lofthouse and Andy Lederer have started work on this again Jan 2013.

The Massaria working party is made up of Mike Turner (Royal Parks), Neville Fay (Consultant), Peter Holloway (AA), Jake Tibbetts (Islington), Neil Taylor (Royal Parks). A Massaria management document will be produced by Spring 2013 with a technical supporting document to follow. The group met Jan 2013 to progress this.

The OPM working party is made up of Dave Lofthouse (Merton), Bill Malin (Contractor), Mark Townsend (Contractor), Dale Mortimer (Ealing), Gary Rimmer (Brent), Lawrence Usherwood (Brent), Kirsty Hopla (Kingston), Liam Vincent (Camden), Paul Cross (Richmond), Paul Maher (Hounslow) , Richard Edwards (Croydon) , Richard Trippett (Bartletts), Victoria Whaley (Hounslow), Daniel Sitch (Merton), Steve Fuller (K & C), Ralph Parks (OPM inspector for FC), Craig Harrision (FC), Andrew Hoppit (FC). Dave Lofthouse is the chair. This is an ongoing working party including the FC to combat OPM.

The Canopy cover working party is made up of David Houghton (Camden) ; Dave Lofthouse (Merton) ; Paul Roberts (Hackney), Jake Tibbetts (Islington) Rupert Bentley Walls (Hackney) Richard Edwards (Croydon) Barbara Milne (Westminster). The working party will develop the work done by several boroughs on local (LB) canopy figures and the GLA area.

The Tree Warden working party is made up of Jon Stokes (Tree Council), Margaret Lipscombe (Tree Council), Andy Robinson (Enfield), Babs Millington (Haringey), Dale Mortimer (Ealing), Dave Lofthouse (Merton), Grayham Tindal (Islington). Jake Tibbetts (Islington), Jane Plant (Merton), Kelly King (Camden), Lawrence Usherwood (Brent), Susan Wyatt (Ealing). This is lead by the Tree Council. The Londoners Love Trees project ended June 2012 but it is worth holding meeting every 6 months for those boroughs who have tree warden networks.

Risk Limitation Strategy revision group is made up of Peter Osborne (Consultant), Tim Moya (Consultant), Simon Pryce (Consultant), Andy Tipping (Barnet), Dave Lofthouse (Merton), Gary Meadwocroft (Southwark), Jake Tibbetts (Islington), Jim Smith (FC), Michael Sankus (Medway), Philip Barwell (Waltham Forest), Richard Edwards (Croydon), Rupert Bentley Walls (Hackney). The group is revising this document especially in light of two recent cases Berent and Robbins.

Planning working party is made up of Chris Overbeke (Redbridge), Coral Gibson (Bromley) , Criag McCrindle (Ealing), Ian Leonard (Lambeth), Jon Ryan (Islington), Lawrence Usherwood (Brent), Oliver Stutter (Southwark), Oliver Tong (Haringey), Peter Osborne (Consultant), Simon Kaye (Croydon), Stephen Downing (Enfield), Sue King (Bexley). This group is currently looking at the TPO validation process to produce a best practice document.

Drought working party is made up of Katie Roberts (TFC), Dave Lofthouse (Merton), John Parker (TFL), Grayham Tindal (Islington), Cameron Brown (Camden), Deric Newman (Contractor), Lawrence Usherwood (Brent) and Rupert Bentley Walls (Hackney). This group is looking at sustainable water management where trees are part of the solution. Should produce a guidance document Spring 2013.

Principal Officers working party. A call went out asking boroughs if they would like to join this working party. We have 14 principal officers that have responded and the first meeting will be held on the 15th May 2013.

LTOA CAVAT review is made up of Dave Lofthouse (Merton), Jake Tibbetts (Islington), Andy Tipping (Barnet), Jim Smith (FC). This group is drawing up an easy to understand guide.

The PR group is made up of Andy Lederer (Islington), John Parker (TfL), Richard Edwards (Croydon), Rupert Bentley Walls (Hackney). This is an ongoing working party. The aim is to raise awareness and the profile of the work of tree officers and what the LTOA does.