Hornbeam or Plane: Which is the True Tree of London?
Hear the arguments and make your decision!
Ticket Information
The True Tree of London
Date: Friday 21st May
Time: 18:00-19:00
Location: Online Zoom event
Tickets: Free, booking essential (donations welcomed)
The London plane and the hornbeam can both claim to be the 'tree of London': Hornbeam dominating the pre-industrial landscape of Greater London while the newcomer - the London plane - a tree synonymous with London has tried to usurp the title over the last 200 years!
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Event Information
Representing the London Plane is author Paul Wood, while Mathew Frith, Director of Conservation at the London Wildlife Trust will make the case for Hornbeam.
Watch the experts slug it out, listen to the arguments and then you decide which species should be crowned the ‘True Tree of London’.
Refereed by Greg Packman, who holds the casting vote in case of a draw.
Contributors
Mathew Frith, Director of Conservation, London Wildlife Trust
Mathew is an urban ecologist with a particular interest in the relationship between nature and society in towns and cities. He has 30 years’ experience of land management policy and practice in nature conservation and has worked with various organisations to develop and promote better understanding of biodiversity conservation in urban areas, whether it’s in private gardens, parks, housing estates, nature reserves or on buildings.
Mathew managed Sydenham Hill Wood between 1990-96. He currently oversees the management and development of the Trust’s conservation work, develops the policy base to advocate the protection, creation and promotion of a wilder city, and furthering the Trust’s research work.
His favourite trees are hornbeam and sycamore.
Paul Wood, author of London is a Forest, London’s Street Trees and London Tree Walks
Paul is an author of several books about trees in London and is currently researching his next book about great urban trees throughout Britain and Ireland. His writing and research covers trees and social history, urbanism and the built environment, and human relationships with nature.
Paul grew up on the chalk in Kent, before heading to art school in Wales. He has worked in the media, advertising and technology, but has always had an abiding interest in nature. He has been writing a blog, TheStreetTree.com since 2011 and was a Trustee of the London Wildlife Trust until 2017. He is a director of ecotech startup Greentalk, a co-founder of the Urban Tree Festival and is Patron of Lewisham-based charity Street Trees for Living.
His favourite trees are London plane and wild service.