Author, Paul Wood shares his knowledge about London's surprising ecological footprint. His bestselling title 'London is a Forest' (2019) explores why London can be called a forest according to one UN definition. He has authored several books about trees in the capital: London Tree Walks, London is a Forest, London’s Street Trees, and Great Trees of London Map. Currently, Paul is researching remarkable urban trees throughout Britain and Ireland for his next book.
Paul has lived in London since the 1990s, having worked in the city for many years in the technology industry. He left the tech industry to pursue his love of plants and nature. After investing time in research and writing an online blog about London’s trees, a publisher picked up his work, and his first book was born.
Alongside his writing, Paul also engages with several community initiatives such as Street Trees for Living, which seeks to expand the greenery in the London Borough of Lewisham. He was formerly a trustee of London Wildlife Trust and is now one of the founders of the Urban Tree Festival and TreeTalk, and is a director of Greentalk, as well as the patron of Street Trees for Living. Visit Paul’s website at TheStreetTree.com.
Why are inner-city parks so important to the quality of life, for both natural and social ecosystems?
Cities can feel cramped, and this is something that I think came home to lots of city dwellers during the lockdown. For many, their local park became a lifeline, a place to breathe, literally, and a place to connect with nature.
How have you seen parks change over the years you’ve lived in London?
Parks have been under a lot of pressure to justify their existence, they have to make money through events, catering and so on. This imperative seems to have become more acute as London has grown, but I hope that we have valued parks during the pandemic for just being parks - open green space where people can think and commune with nature. This is their real value.
How can we ensure diversity of ecosystems in built-up, metropolitan spaces?
If you think of parks as a network of green spaces among built-up areas, you can start to imagine the benefits they can offer to the non-humans we share our cities with. Parks can act as natural spaces to encourage biodiversity (which is hugely important to all living things regardless of where they are). So, we should start to think about connecting parks with green corridors and letting areas of parks grow wilder through such things as no-mow initiatives and leaving deadwood in place.
With the destruction of forests being at a record high worldwide, how effective is planting trees in parks, etc, as a way to build back what is being destroyed?
While planting trees in parks is never going to replace the vast tracts of boreal and rain forests we are losing, planting any trees is of course useful. More trees in cities will help locally mitigate the worst effects of climate change and can help make cities more liveable. But I think the most important thing about tree planting in parks is that it’s a way to get communities involved, and especially kids so that everyone can begin to appreciate the green spaces on their doorstep. Through tree planting, people can learn about the benefits of trees and nature and if individuals are involved in planting trees, they can say “I planted that tree”, and maybe get a sense of ownership - and wonder - that can last a lifetime.
How does your work on trees inform environmental and sustainable issues worldwide?
I think I might turn that around, and say that my work is informed by global environmental and sustainability issues. In order to address these issues, we have to start somewhere, and there’s no place like your own front door!
Are there any organisations that are working to change the way we engage with parks and nature?
Yes, lots! Check out Go Parks London for instance. You can explore all the green spaces in London, and find out about all the friend groups and community groups that are involved in maintaining and advocating for individual parks. Also, have a look at CPRE London’s campaign to create 10 new parks in the city
What do you see for the future of inner-city parks and community engagement with nature?
I hope that respect for parks will only become more embedded with city dwellers, I believe it’s vitally important for everyone to experience green spaces and nature, and parks offer a fantastic way to do that for many people.
You are a part of an initiative called TreeTalk. Tell us about it and how you became involved?
TreeTalk is a way to explore London’s urban forest through its trees. With my collaborators, we have mapped over 700,000 trees in the city and have developed a routing engine that allows you to devise a circular or linear walking route from any point in the city. The route is generated instantly and will lead you on a walk around the streets and parks of London looking at the trees en route. It’s a great way to encourage people to get outside, get active, and discover the wealth of trees in this city. Check it out at treetalk.co.uk.
The technology that underpins TreeTalk is now available as a licenced platform aimed at land managers who want to bring their city, borough, visitor attraction, housing development, campus, or park to life. Find out more from Greentalk at greentalklabs.com
Take a look at more of Paul's work here - thestreettree.com.
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