The research programme ‘Trees Outside Woodland’ has undertaken a project investigating the barriers faced in urban tree establishment and trialling methods of improvement. The Trees Outside Woodlands programme is delivered in partnership between Defra, Natural England, The Tree Council, and five local authorities. Of these local authorities, Kent County Council has led the urban tree establishment project. This report has been developed by the partnership as research evidence and any related policy recommendations should consider this research in its wider context.
To explore potential solutions to the problems with urban tree establishment, this project has consisted of three strands outlined in the following sections:
- Trees and utilities study. Utilities were identified as a particular barrier to urban tree establishment as they often compete for space and the needs of the tree are deprioritised. This desk-based study aimed to understand the conflicts between trees and utilities in England and to make recommendations to allow more urban trees to be established and retained.
- Trial of adapted Miyawaki method planting. Across 4 local authorities, the innovative Miyawaki style of planting was trialled, alongside control plots featuring standard practice planting to compare their cost and survival rates.
- Trial of natural colonisation. Kent County Council trialled natural colonisation and control plot planting across multiple sites exploring whether natural colonisation is a suitable cost-effective method for establishing tree cover in urban green spaces.
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