Lambeth council blasted for felling more trees than it plants

Lambeth council has been slammed for its record on trees – and urged to sign up to a policy promoting the safeguarding of woodland. 

Figures released by the local authority have shown that the number of trees felled was significantly higher than the number of trees planted in both 2019-20 and 2020-21, leading to a net loss of 344 trees during those years. 

Some 347 trees were felled in Lambeth in 2020-21, while only 213 were planted. 370 trees were felled in 2019-20, with only 160 being planted. 

Lambeth has one of the lowest rates of woodland coverage within a local authority area in the country, with only 2.58 per cent of land covered by woodland according to 2019 ONS figures. 

Lambeth Lib Dem leader, Councillor Donna Harris, has penned an open letter to Lambeth council calling for it to sign up to the London Tree Officers’ Association’s Joint Mitigation Protocol. 

The Joint Mitigation Protocol establishes best practice in the processing and investigation of tree root induced building damage, which is used in decisions about whether trees should be felled or not. 

Established in 2008 after input from insurers, local authority tree and risk managers, engineers and arboricultural consultants, the protocol has been signed by Southwark, Croydon and Merton as well as the Labour-controlled boroughs of Newham, Islington and Camden – but not Lambeth council. 

Cllr Harris said: “Lambeth is clearly out of step with the industry standard in London for taking decisions about whether trees represent a risk to buildings or not, and so whether they will be felled. 

“With our borough’s trees outside of the protection of the protocol, we have recently seen the loss of a much-cherished Black Poplar tree – the UK’s rarest hardwood species – which had been in place for 130 years in Streatham. 

“The basis on which this tree was felled was highly suspect and we believe would not have stood up to scrutiny under the principles of the protocol.”

Lambeth council said it planned to “re-examine its position” with regard to the Protocol policy and was: “committed to planting 5,000 new trees in the borough over the next four years as part of plans to improve air quality.”

A spokesman said: “New trees have been reserved at nurseries for the planting season this winter, and on-street planting locations have been scoped out, plus other locations across our borough’s network of parks and open spaces. 

“This is a big commitment that is supported by a whole range of measures to improve our local environment, including our low traffic neighbourhoods which create space for new plantings, our pocket park projects adding new trees and plants to small sites and our new community grants to fund local greening projects.” 

 “Lambeth council welcomes suggestions tree planting suggestions from residents. To share them local residents can email trees@lambeth.gov.uk.” 

Picture: Wikimedia Commons / Brian Robert Marshall / Tree felling, Cobham Frith