Tree campaign in Sheffield in 2016 (continuation thread)

All those trees gone, utterly shameful

Couple of million left - including the one that nearly did for Farage.

---------- Post added 31-05-2016 at 00:52 ----------

Provides an alternative view to the usual links on this thread. Refreshing to see a bit of balance.

I agree - it was useful to get some historical perspective.

People in Sheffield were caring for trees well before SORT/STAG came along last year.

4000 mature highway trees have already been felled, most of these were perfectly healthy. ACTUAL street tree replacement would need to see 240,000 saplings planted in their stead. This is NOT happening and this is NOT therefore, a replacement programme. Impoverished substitution of healthy, flourishing trees, with weedy saplings that only have a 50:50 chance of survival to maturity, is what Amey is bringing to Sheffielders. And with that, the 60:1 loss of ecosystem services provided by each large crown tree felled. Amey is a second rate company, with second rate ideals and operated by senior staff members who do not have a single arboricultural qualification between them. And meanwhile, Sheffield City Council has not a clue on how to manage them, or their PFI.

4000 mature highway trees have already been felled and most of these were perfectly healthy. An ACTUAL street tree replacement programme would need to plant 240,000 saplings in their stead. This is therefore not a replacement programme in any sense of the word, but an impoverished substitution of healthy, flourishing trees, with weedy saplings that only have a 50:50 chance of survival to maturity.

We've done this before at the top of the page.

Existing trees grow. It only needs a miniscule percentage growth of the existing 2 million trees to increase canopy cover in the urban forest.

And as you've been reminded before -all trees go through the "weedy sapling" stage - that's how we get trees for the future.

Perhaps now would be a good time to answer the question you have so far thrice deferred to answer Longcol. How is SCC planning to replace the canopy cover of the 10 mature trees felled on Humphrey Road? This should be interesting.

---------- Post added 31-05-2016 at 01:15 ----------

And as you've been reminded before -all trees go through the "weedy sapling" stage - that's how we get trees for the future.

And as you have been reminded many times before Longcol, the saplings Amey are planting are high failure and of 'lollipop' species that live between 40-80 yrs max. Smaller trees that won't last a generation are NOT trees for the future.

---------- Post added 31-05-2016 at 01:20 ----------

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/mindless-vandals-destroy-50-young-trees-in-sheffield-1-7861532

Living in a street is a harsh environment for a tree as it is, let alone factoring in vandalism. Poor oxygenation of roots, pollution, poor access to water and light. This is why it makes much more sense to protect the well established highway trees that we already have.

Perhaps now would be a good time to answer the question you have so far thrice deferred to answer Longcol. How is SCC planning to replace the canopy cover of the 10 mature trees felled on Humphrey Road? This should be interesting.

Perhaps it's worth reminding people of your contribution to the discussion about Humphrey Road back in January when the trees came down starting at post #97 through to about #124 and your concern about the ecosystem - sorry - house prices.

https://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1442619&highlight=humphrey+road&page=5

It's patently obvious you can't plant 60 odd trees to replace one in the same position - even if all had been left to die and rot.

A strategy isn't about one road.

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/mindless-vandals-destroy-50-young-trees-in-sheffield-1-7861532

"The Woodland Trust has said the incident ‘shows the folly’ of removing thousands of trees under the Streets Ahead programme"

---------- Post added 31-05-2016 at 01:32 ----------

You are fooling no-one with your continued deflection of a quite simple question Longcol. I can only conclude that you have no sensible answer to give. I will therefore answer for you. Canopy cover from the 10 healthy trees on Humphrey Road CANNOT be replaced. The birds and wildlife and ecosystems that took 100 years to establish are GONE for GOOD. The estimation of CAVAT value for each mature large crown tree is AT LEAST £65,000, so that's £650,000 SCC has squandered on this one street alone. And this is just the structural value. Combine this with i-Tree valuations which are YEAR on YEAR costings of ecosystem benefits, so multiply this by the remaining SULE (Safe Useful Life Expectancy) which was at least 100 years. SCC have really messed up here, in a BIG way.

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/mindless-vandals-destroy-50-young-trees-in-sheffield-1-7861532

 

"The Woodland Trust has said the incident ‘shows the folly’ of removing thousands of trees under the Streets Ahead programme"

 

---------- Post added 31-05-2016 at 01:32 ----------

 

You are fooling no-one with your continued deflection of a quite simple question Longcol. I can only conclude that you have no sensible answer to give. I will therefore answer for you. Canopy cover from the 10 healthy trees on Humphrey Road CANNOT be replaced. The birds and wildlife and ecosystems that took 100 years to establish are GONE for GOOD. The estimation of CAVAT value for each mature large crown tree is AT LEAST £65,000, so that's £650,000 SCC has squandered on this one street alone. And this is just the structural value. Combine this with i-Tree valuations which are YEAR on YEAR costings of ecosystem benefits, so multiply this by the remaining SULE (Safe Useful Life Expectancy) which was at least 100 years. SCC have really messed up here, in a BIG way.

And if you read those posts you'll see that the biggest selling point on Humphrey Road was people being able to establish off road parking for a couple of cars. Trees would get in the way of that.

Did any birds ever nest there? It isn't as if there is a shortage of trees in the area. What are these ecosystem benefits - we manage without them every winter.

Back in the real world with CAVAT;

http://www.ltoa.org.uk/resources/cavat

Can't see a sum of £65k. Can't imagine anyone paying 65k for a tree on Humphrey Road when you can get a house for £130k.

The tree canopy in Sheffield is getting bigger every year - 2 million trees continue to grow - every one was a sapling once.

Ecosystem services include pollution control, flood prevention (SUDS), temperature regulation, biodiversity, habitat, health and well being, property price. Humphrey Road residents have been on SF to complain about the mindless felling, the fact that the birds and wildlife have gone and also the effect on their own mental health and well being. CAVAT estimates the structural value of a tree, in terms of replacement of trunk mass and crown. And it was Chris Neilan himself who calculated the figures for Rustlings Road, so the figures are unequivocal. And the canopy cover from highway trees has been stripped by 4000 units, worth 80 million in CAVAT estimation alone. Add to this the i-Tree valuations of YEAR on YEAR accumulation of lost ecosystem benefits, and the full nature of SCC's errors are fully revealed.

---------- Post added 31-05-2016 at 02:20 ----------

As I've said before, all campaigners are asking for, is that SCC comply with the current industry good practice that SCC already claim to comply with. Compliance with the UK Forestry Standard, BS5837; UKRLG guidance and NJUG, would be a good indicator of fulfilment of the Duty of Care and responsible, competent management.

---------- Post added 31-05-2016 at 02:27 ----------

SCC need to be hiring competent and experienced arboricultural consultants and highway engineers to manage our green infrastructure properly. SCC's oversight on this important point, has already cost Sheffielders dearly. And the most impoverished parts of Sheffield, where street trees have provided the most in terms of community ecosystem benefits, have been the worst affected.

Here's the Arb association page:

http://www.trees.org.uk/

 

And a link to an article from March, criticising Sheffield Council:

http://www.hortweek.com/tree-felling-sheffield-criticised-consultant/arboriculture/article/1387442

 

"You don't have to fell trees to repair a footpath"

 

The only reason HEALTHY trees are being felled in Sheffield, is to increase Amey's profit margins. SCC did NOT employ arboricultural consultants and engineers, with the appropriate level of experience of highway tree management, BEFORE signing the 2.2 billion pound contract. Basic and glaring error! We are getting cowboy management, because that is what we paid for.

You consistently claim that SCC do not employ competent arborculturalists. The link in Valderama's post #631 appears to contradict this.

What is the basis for your claims?

What is your view on the link that Valderama posted?

You consistently claim that SCC do not employ competent arborculturalists.....

To be fair, the claim is:

"... did not employ" .......... "... before ....".

To be fair, the claim is:

 

"... did not employ" .......... "... before ....".

Post #644 implies it's still the same.

What do I think about an arborist who is siding with the council, because he stands to make a great deal of money from being a sub-contractor? Well I think that is pretty obvious. And forgive me for paying more attention to the opinion of seven other national and international tree experts who condemn Sheffield's lack of planning and strategy, because they don't have a vested interest in any outcome.

---------- Post added 31-05-2016 at 11:09 ----------

To be fair, the claim is:

 

"... did not employ" .......... "... before ....".

This is correct CGK. Steve Robinson, Simon Green and whoever else were involved with the signing of this 2.2 billion pound contract SHOULD have employed tree and engineer consultants, to ensure appropriate protection of Sheffield's green assets. This has NOT happened. Amey are doing the bare minimum to meet contract requirements, felling trees because it is expedient for their longterm profits. And Sheffield City Council is just sitting there, watching them - watching them fell perfectly healthy trees for no reason, damaging healthy trees with improper and unsupervised use of machinery within the root protection zone, improperly planting saplings with no aftercare, trenching within the RPA with no arboricultural guidance, using substandard materials for road and pavement repair, which are already degrading after a year of use.