08 / TREES
A VIEW FROM THE URBAN FOREST Trees and development - same old story? This opinion piece is written by Aidan J ffrench from a personal perspective, formed by daily experience of the travails of the Irish urban tree and by what passes for official policy in the Republic of Ireland. So, it is written ‘from the trenches’ and therefore reflects a striving to achieve optimal solutions for ‘tree thriving’ (beyond mere survival) in newly built environments. The author would welcome feedback on the issues raised.
E
arlier this month the Tree Council of Ireland (TCI) invited us to celebrate ‘The Sound of Trees’, its theme for National Tree Week 2014, a nice homely concept. But as the trees make sounds and dare to speak, what do they say and are we listening to their pleas? The TCI has often spoken about the need to foster a tree culture in Irish society. While much of the activity of tree advocates is focused, quite understandably, on educating the younger generation, it is arguably the older generation that most needs convincing. I can’t help but think that the pleas of the trees are firmly directed at this generation. After all it’s the generation that shapes the urban environment where most Irish people live. It uses its power and influence to decide, often unwittingly and incoherently, the fate of urban amenity
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trees. And in my experience, fostering a tree culture in the development community (developers, builders, architects, planners, engineers etc) of that generation is an urgent, but rewarding, challenge. For the past year I’ve become very engaged in the fate of urban trees in their struggles with the Irish planning system. It has been an education, or more accurately a re-education, which started in the early 80s when, as a UCD student, I was first introduced to trees, planning and construction by Dublin County Council Parks Department. It was busy carving out a role in this area, building a working relationship with the Council’s planners. More than 30 years later it seems the issues are as alive and problematic as ever. Has the fate of urban trees improved? And have trees been adequately addressed in government
HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / April/May 2014
