It has been a tough summer for street trees. Recent research examined the impact of extreme heat on street trees in Leipzig, Germany and it’s not good news. The researchers report that ‘newly planted trees are most likely to die as a result of extreme conditions’. Taking care of street trees in hot weather is crucial, which requires the help of local residents. This is a follow-up to A place-keeping blog which reported on a short study that Landscape Architecture student Ellie Hughes was embarking on. Ellie asked residents in Darnall, Sheffield what they thought about street trees in their neighbourhood. The results are in!
Street trees are under extreme stress at the moment in the very hot summer months.
Some of Ellie’s key findings were really positive and highlighted how residents saw the benefits of street trees. When asked ‘What do you like about trees?’, residents stated that they are habitats, make the air cleaner, provide seasonal colour and make the street look better, and also help improve our physical and mental health. Overwhelmingly, respondents agreed that having more trees improved the streets that featured in the photos.
Photos used in Ellie’s montages to show residents how streets might look with trees.
Residents were also asked about what they don’t like about trees. Happily, the most popular response was ‘not applicable because I like trees’! But after this, root damage to building, leaf, fruit and sap drop, blocking light and inhibiting views were mentioned, which are all indeed problems to be addressed.
Ellie also asked residents to think about where they lived and asked them if they would like new trees planted in their street. Over 70% of respondents said yes. And when asked about where they would like to see new trees in Darnall, most people said on their main roads and local street. Ellie did give them the option of seeing new trees in parks but that was not as popular.
Some respondents did talk about some problems that trees could cause on their streets – mostly around car parking being an issue meaning there is no space for trees and a preference for replacing/ maintaining the existing trees in their street. This information is really important – a grass verge might be a prime place to plant a tree, but not if it’s compacted because it’s used for on-street parking.
Overall, Ellie found that survey respondents talked about the pleasure and benefits they get from street trees and they are mostly in favour of more trees on their streets.
But what kind of trees do Darnall residents want? People mostly preferred medium-sized or small trees, not large trees. This is not so surprising and tallies with recent research in Melbourne. Most people’s favourite tree was Cherry followed by Birch, Rowan and Oak, which tallies with the seasonal colour that residents appreciate.
We don’t just need street tree planting, we need street tree survival!
Ellie also asked respondents if they would be willing to care for these trees, the majority of whom said yes. Those who did not stated that ‘It’s the council’s job. They can’t get them managed so I’m not inclined to help’, while another respondent stated: ‘It’s a small commitment for a significant improvement to our area’.
It’s true. Street trees are a small commitment but they are a commitment. The recent extremely hot weather was tough on our street trees, some of which did not survive. The water that they need in those first few years are vital to their survival. Street tree planting is all well and good, but what we must aim for is street tree survival.
