Why Britain needs a more diverse choice of trees - Yorkshire Post Letters

I agree with the comments made about increasing the choice of trees in the British landscape by Tony Kirkham, former head of arboretum, gardens and horticultural services at Kew Gardens, who is respected in horticulture.

If the likes of the Forestry Commission and English Heritage stick to outdated policies of planting only British native trees, like Oak, Beech and Mountain Ash, then this is putting our woodlands at risk due to extremes in climate change, as seen in the summers of 2022 when there were air temperatures in excess of 40 C and flooding in 2007.

Diseases like Ash dieback and canker in Horse Chestnuts are impacting the makeup of some woodlands and forests in Britain.

By planting a broader range of tree species, which originate from southern Europe, Asia and the Americas, the British landscape will be more secure for our future generations of children.

New introductions of plants are not new, as plant hunters like Ernest Wilson introduced many trees and shrubs from Asia, and in more modern times, plant enthusiast like Bolton's (Greater Manchester), Roy Lancaster, broadcaster and former curator of Hillier arboretum and gardens in Hampshire, introduced new shrubs to the UK from his plant hunting tours of the Himalayas.

There are some of the most stringent bio security checks in the United Kingdom, compared to other countries around the world, to ensure that new 'alien' pests and diseases are not introduced, putting our native trees and shrubs at risk of damage or extinction.

The government needs to set up a panel of experts from various professional bodies like Royal Forestry Society, National Trust and have a broader 'church'.

The chairman of the Forestry Commission, and past governmental tree tsar, Sir William Worsley, and his committee have done some excellent work so far, but the effects of climate change is fast moving and whilst specialist committees in government are debating these issues, the British landscape, especially in the south and south east, is gradually changing, with trees like Beech which have more surface roots rather than deep anchor roots dying out in periods of drought.