Chiswick Part Of The Great Elm Giveaway
Elmwood Road gain two saplings to replace lost trees
Londoners from streets, houses and parks around the capital with ‘elm’ in their names have collected their specially grown elm saplings from The Conservation Foundation’s first Ulmus londinium elm distribution. Residents from Chiswick’s Elmwood Road had registered for the scheme and collected two elm tree saplings at the event at the Garden Museum in Lambeth on Sunday 11 November.
Julia Watkiss of Elmwood Road with elm saplings
Micropropagated from healthy mature parent elms found growing in the British countryside and monitored by the Foundation, the London saplings were grown on at a nursery at the Lambeth environmental and education charity Roots and Shoots. They are part of The Great British Elm Experiment, a UK-wide programme of The Conservation Foundation.
Dutch elm disease was a disaster in the last century and Ash Dieback reminds us how precious our native tree population is. Says Conservation Foundation Director David Shreeve; “We are very fortunate in this country to have a rich and diverse tree population but any loss within its biodiversity is to be regretted. That's why after the loss of over 20 million elm trees, The Conservation Foundation continues to work with possible disease resistant trees in the hope that we can find replacements for some of those lost.”
Elmwood Road resident, Julia Watkiss, who applied for the trees, said, “Having lost a number of established trees in the street over the past years, it’s great to have two saplings to plant. They are however tiny – only 83cm! – so we’re looking after them in a garden until they are a bit more resilient. Next step will be to identify possible sites for planting out next year, and to sort out a rota amongst neighbours for watering and looking after them - we’re especially grateful to Gary Winterbottom & the Environment Department at Hounslow Council for his support of the project.”
The Conservation Foundation
A film, London Elm A to Z, on the cultural history of the elm in the capital is in production. From the pipes that brought the water to the medieval city, the foundations of London Bridge of nursery rhyme fame, the coffins of the Tudor court and the hanging tree of Tyburn, the elm is inextricably woven into the life of the capital.
The Conservation Foundation was founded by David Shreeve and David Bellamy 30 years ago to promote positive environmental news, awareness and action.
London ‘elm’ places collecting trees include ; Elmtree Luxury Pet Hotel, Enfield; Elm Park, Romford; Elm Park Residents’ Association, Barnet; Elm Court, Westminster; Elm Bank Avenue, Barnet; Elm Close, Redbridge; Elmwood Road, Chiswick; Elm Place, Kensington and Elm Grove, Southwark.
Elm sightings can be added to the Natural History Museum’s online elm map at http://www.nhm.ac.uk/ by following the urban tree survey links via the Nature online tab.
November 27, 2012