London Tree Week events 2016

London Tree and Woodland Awards, City Hall

These awards recognise the people, organisations and projects that have helped to conserve and manage London's trees and woodlands. Read more on the London Tree Week page. This is an invitation only event.

CanopyStair in Highgate Wood

9am-5.30pm

Especially installed for London Tree Week, you will be able to climb steps of the CanopyStair up an oak tree in Highgate Wood. These steps attach to the trunk of the tree without harming the tree, so you can see a new view of the tree and the woods.

The steps will be near the café in Highgate Wood. Map and information for visitors on the City of London website.

Free but queuing may be required. Height restriction of 1.2m applies.

Volunteer tree care and maintenance in Beddington Park

10am-12-noon

Meet by the Grange Play Centre in the London Road Car Park, Sutton, SM6 7BT.

Join Sutton’s Tree Officer to learn a bit about tree maintenance as we prune and coppice some young tree saplings in Beddington Park. You can find out more about Beddington Park on Sutton Council’s website. Free. Email: [email protected] to book your place.

Bloomsbury Squares tree walk

11am-12-noon

Meet at the steps of the Goodenough Club, 23 Mecklenburgh Square, London WC1N 2AD.

Join the Association of Bloomsbury Squares and Gardens with Val Martin Memorial Walks for a free guided tree walk around the squares. This is a great chance to see some of the area’s splendid and unusual trees. You’ll also be able to view the New Zealand border in the beautiful Mecklenburgh Square garden which is normally closed to the public. Another highlight is London’s second oldest plane tree in Brunswick Square, one of the city’s top ten trees. Guides are members of Goodenough College.

Book your free place at: Association of Bloomsbury Squares and Gardens

Children’s activities in Barnsbury Wood, Islington

11am-3pm

The entrance to Barnsbury Wood is on Crescent Street, off Huntingdon Street, N1 1BW

Join The Garden Classroom in Barnsbury Wood, London’s smallest local nature reserve. This hidden woodland was originally the garden of a house in the

Find out more: www.islington.gov.uk/services/parks-environment/parks/islington_nature_reserves/Pages/barnsbury.aspx

Twitter: https://twitter.com/grdnclassroom

Tottenham Trees launch walk

2pm-3pm

Meet outside the Pavilion Cafe, Bruce Castle Park, Lordship Lane N17 8NJ

This free walk celebrates the launch of the Tottenham Trees Group. We’ll be looking at some of the many different trees that can be found there. Highlights include Tottenham's Oldest Tree (an Oak), a Tulip Tree and an Indian Bean Tree. Free. No need to book. Find out more at: www.tottenhamtrees.org

CanopyStair in Highgate Wood

9am-5.30pm

Especially installed for London Tree Week, you will be able to climb steps of the CanopyStair up an oak tree in Highgate Wood. These steps attach to the trunk of the tree without harming the tree, so you can see a new view of the tree and the woods.

The steps will be near the café in Highgate Wood. Map and information for visitors on the City of London website.

Free but queuing may be required. Height restriction of 1.2m applies.

Stalking London Trees: the Fulham Palace Holm Oak – photography walk

11am-1pm

Meet outside Putney Bridge Tube station

For over 450 years, this evergreen Holm oak has stood in the grounds of Fulham Palace. The gardens of Fulham Palace started off as an arboretum and some of the original specimens survive. Join Museum of Walking and photographer Peter Coles on this walkshop. Come and learn new facts about and get a fresh view of trees. Whether you’re a dab hand with a digital SLR, a novice struggling to master your smartphone or getting to grips with Instagram come and take some great #LondonTreeWeek photos. Suitable for adults and families (accompanied children only). Bring a camera. Book your free place: Eventbrite

CanopyStair in Highgate Wood

9am-5.30pm

Especially installed for London Tree Week, you will be able to climb steps of the CanopyStair up an oak tree in Highgate Wood. These steps attach to the trunk of the tree without harming the tree, so you can see a new view of the tree and the woods.

The steps will be near the café in Highgate Wood. Map and information for visitors on the City of London website.

Free but queuing may be required. Height restriction of 1.2m applies.

Tall tree stories at Telegraph Hill

11am-12-noon

Meet outside the Hill Station café, SE14 5TW

Come and enjoy a fun family day out. The children will love hearing stories about trees some true, some not. They can also make up their own tall tree stories too. We’ve all heard an ‘old wives tale’ or two about a tree, here's your chance to test your wits and your storytelling powers - to discover which stories are tree or false.

For accompanied children aged 7+ (siblings, parents and grandparents welcome).

Book your free place: Eventbrite

Tree Walk, West Ham Park

2.30-4.30pm

Meet at the Park Office, E7 9PU

Join the Friends of West Ham Park on a tree walk looking at some of the fine native trees in the park. Free. No need to book.

Find out more: http://friendsofwesthampark.btck.co.uk/

Tree Stories of London exhibition

opens (runs to 10 June)

Lower Ground Floor (map area), City Hall

This small exhibition tells the stories of 14 people and the trees that matter to them for all sorts of reasons - from a Plane tree in Battersea Park to a Tangerine Tree in Myatts Field North. The exhibition has been organised by The Woodland Trust as part of a call for a Charter for Trees, Woods and People. Share your own tree story when you visit.

Wandering Tree

All day, More London, outside City Hall, SE1 2AA

Come and see the Wandering Tree! The Wandering Tree is a large piece of pavement art. Have your photo taken on its leafy branches and hear more about the Tree Charter

CanopyStair in Highgate Wood

9am-5.30pm

Especially installed for London Tree Week, you will be able to climb steps of the CanopyStair up an oak tree in Highgate Wood. These steps attach to the trunk of the tree without harming the tree, so you can see a new view of the tree and the woods.

The steps will be near the café in Highgate Wood. Map and information for visitors on the City of London website.

Free but queuing may be required. Height restriction of 1.2m applies.

The Magic of Trees family workshop

10.30am-12.30pm

Brockwell Park, SE24

Join Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses for this family session. Have you ever hugged a tree, seen its face or found the Tree of Signs? Come and hear tales of the magic of trees and get to know them better than ever before.

Suitable for ages 5+. Cost: £5 / £2.50 low income.

Book your place at: www.brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk/event/magic-trees-family-workshop-2/

Camden Green Gym at Waterlow Park

10:45am–2pm

Meet at Waterlow Park Lodge, Dartmouth Park Hill, N19 5JF

Get fit and help improve nature areas in this beautiful park at this free volunteering opportunity. No booking needed, refreshments provided. Waterlow Park is home to a number of interesting trees. The Friends of Waterlow Park have a tree trail map on their website, and have also written about the Gingko trees in the park.

Find out more: www.tcv.org.uk/camden

Songs in the trees

11am-1pm (5-7 years), 2-4pm (7-11 years) also on 2 June.

Meet at the Rickyard, Walpole Park, Ealing, W5 5EQ.

Children can explore Walpole Park and learn about the birds that live in the trees there. They’ll use the birdsong they hear to inspire them to make their own instrument and play in their version of the ‘dawn chorus’.

Find out more: www.pitzhanger.org.uk/walpole-park/visit-walpole-park

Cost: £2.50 per child. Contact Alys Hughes to book: 020 85675661 or 07711391184.

Email: [email protected]

Talking trees

6-8:30pm

Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, 3 More London Riverside, SE1 2AQ

Clive Anderson chairs an evening of talks about trees. There’ll be a number of high profile speakers like author of The Tree Climber’s Guide, Jack Cooke and poet Free.

Find out more and enter a ballot for tickets at the Tree Charter website

The City’s marvellous mulberries

6pm-7:30pm

Meet at Blackfriars Station (North Exit), EC4V 4EG

Discover London’s mulberry tree heritage with this free guide walk after work. Peter Coles will lead you around some of the Square Mile’s mulberry heritage sites. He’ll also explore the area’s wider history, before mulberry-themed refreshments near St Paul’s. The event marks the launch of the Conservation Foundation’s Morus Londinium project.

Book your free place at: Eventbrite

Edible Trees at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

6:30pm-8:20pm

Meet at The Soanes Centre, Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, Southern Grove, Mile End, E3 4PX

Join Ken, Cemetery Park Manager, for a guided walk of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. As you gently walk, you’ll learn sustainable harvesting techniques and basic tree identification techniques. Nibble leaves, shoots and flowers, and hear about the many ways to use urban trees in recipes. £8/£6 concs. Book your place at: www.fothcp.org/london-tree-week

Tree Stories of London exhibition

(runs to 10 June)

Lower Ground Floor (map area), City Hall

This small exhibition tells the stories of 14 people and the trees that matter to them for all sorts of reasons - from a Plane tree in Battersea Park to a Tangerine Tree in Myatts Field North. The exhibition has been organised by The Woodland Trust as part of a call for a Charter for Trees, Woods and People. Share your own tree story when you visit.

Leaf printing (children’s event)

10:30am-12.00-noon

Meet at The Soanes Centre, Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, Southern Grove, Mile End, E3 4PX

Come and learn all about the different trees in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. We’ll start by exploring the park, collecting leaves as we go. We will then use these leaves to make beautiful pieces of art! Suitable for ages 4+ cost: £3 per child.

Book here: www.fothcp.org/london-tree-week

Home is where the heartwood is (family workshop)

10.30am-12.30pm

Brockwell Park, SE24

Join Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses for this family session. Ever wanted to visit the home of a woodpecker or a leaf miner? Explore their leafy neighbourhood and return the favour by inviting a bird to lunch. Suitable for ages 5+. Cost: £5 / £2.50 low income. Book your place at: www.brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk/event/home-heartwood-family-workshop/

Oak processionary moth awareness and surveying

11am-3pm (also runs on 2 June)

Meet at Holly Lodge, Richmond Park,

Discover the history and biology of the oak processionary moth (OPM) in the London area. The day is split into two sessions. The first will be in the classroom and around education and discussion. In the afternoon enjoy outside surveying for OPM. Andrew Hoppit from the Forestry Commission will run the day. Please bring your own lunch.

Find out more: www.forestry.gov.uk/opm

To book your free place, email Gill Brown: [email protected]

Woodland conservation at Oak Hill Wood

11:30am-3pm weather permitting

Meet at Oak Hill Park, Mansfield Avenue, East Barnet, EN4 8QD (look for London Wildlife Trust van). Nearest Tube: Cockfosters (Piccadilly), 1.2km

Join the London Wildlife Trust for a woodland work session to help them improve access around this medieval oak wood, a home to rare wild service-trees and bright woodland flowers. To book, email Catherine Cullen: [email protected]

Find out more at the London Wildlife Trust website.

Official opening of Horticultural Therapy Garden at South London Maudsley Hospital

1pm-1.30pm

This Trees for Cities project, supported by the Mayor, has seen a neglected patch of land in the SLaM grounds transformed into a garden with apple trees. This event is invite only.

Find out more: www.treesforcities.org/our-work/

Mindfulness walks in Ruskin Park

1.30pm-3.30pm

To link with the launch of the Horticultural Therapy Garden (see event above) these mindfulness walks will explore how nature can help connect us to creativity and wellbeing, surrounded by the trees of Ruskin Park. This event is invite only.

Native trees and shrubs

2pm-4pm

Meeting at The Soanes Centre, Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, Southern Grove, Mile End,E3 4PX

The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park will lead this gentle meander around the park. We’ll be focusing on the array of native tree and shrubs that can be found here. Learn how to identify different species using leaves and other key features. We’ll also touch on their relationship with wildlife and management techniques.

Book your free place at: www.fothcp.org/london-tree-week

Exploring London’s tree canopy

Kew Gardens

An evening of talks about what we can learn from the results of London’s iTree survey. We’ll also discuss recent tree planting projects in London, and the importance of integrating trees and green infrastructure in our places. This is an invitation only event. For more information contact: [email protected]

Celebrate London's urban orchards

7.15pm-8.30pm

Meeting at the Wenlock Barn Estate near Old Street. The orchard is on the corner of Wenlock Street and Cropley Street, London, N1 7PJ

Join the Urban Orchard Project with this summer evening gathering in one of their community orchards;. There will be an informal introduction to community orchards as they talk about the Urban Orchard Project's work and philosophy. There will be a discussion on how to observe nature to get the most out of fruit trees in difficult urban conditions.
As part of the evening help plant some Bocking 14 comfrey around the trees to help build fertility into the orchard to minimise the need for external sources of nutrition.

More information: www.theurbanorchardproject.org/node/239

Tree Stories of London exhibition

(runs to 10 June)

Lower Ground Floor (map area), City Hall

This small exhibition tells the stories of 14 people and the trees that matter to them for all sorts of reasons - from a Plane tree in Battersea Park to a Tangerine Tree in Myatts Field North. The exhibition has been organised by The Woodland Trust as part of a call for a Charter for Trees, Woods and People. Share your own tree story when you visit.

Lesnes Abbey Woods Walk

10.30am-12-noon

Meeting outside Lesnes Abbey Lodge (under construction), New Road, Abbey Wood, London, SE2 0AX (Grid Ref TQ478787). 5min walk from Abbey Wood Railway Station. Buses B11 (New Rd), 229, 469 (Abbey Rd), 180, 244 (Knee Hill).

A walk through the beautiful native woodlands of Lesnes Abbey Woods. As well as enjoying the wonderful woodland and wildlife, Ian Holt (Estate Manager) will explain the history of the woodlands and future plans to actively manage them for multiple purposes. Craig Harrison (Forestry Commission) will talk about the benefits of woodland management and the importance of a plan as the foundation of sustainable woodland management.

Free event, no booking necessary. Hilly terrain may not be suitable for all.

Find out more at: www.visitlesnes.co.uk/visitor-information

Lloyd Park children's nature trail

11am-2pm

Meet at Aveling Centre Community Room, Lloyd Park, Forest Road, Waltham Forest, E17 4PP

Follow the trail around the park to discover what wildlife lives in Lloyd Park. There’s also a chance to pond dip and identify your finds. These events are designed for the whole family, so please note under-18s will not be admitted without a parent, guardian or carer. Free. Refreshments and toilets are available.

Find out more at: www.tcv.org.uk/london/education

Songs in the trees

11am-1pm (5-7 years) and 2pm-4pm (7-11 years) also runs 31 May

Meet at the Rickyard, Walpole Park, Ealing, W5 5EQ

Children can explore Walpole Park and learn about the birds that live in the trees there. They’ll use the birdsong they hear to inspire them to make their own instrument and play in their version of the ‘dawn chorus’.

Find out more: www.pitzhanger.org.uk/walpole-park/visit-walpole-park

Cost: £2.50 per child. Contact Alys Hughes to book: 020 85675661 or 07711391184.

Email: [email protected]

Oak processionary moth awareness and surveying

11am-3pm (also runs on 1 June)

Meet at Holly Lodge, Richmond Park,

Discover the history and biology of the oak processionary moth (OPM) in the London area. The day is split into two sessions. The first will be in the classroom and around education and discussion. In the afternoon enjoy outside surveying for OPM. Andrew Hoppit from the Forestry Commission will run the day. Please bring your own lunch.

Find out more: www.forestry.gov.uk/opm

To book your free place, email Gill Brown: [email protected]

Haiku on foot

6.30pm-8pm

Meet outside the Imperial War Museum, SE1 6HZ

Free-form walk where you get to write and inspire others to write haiku poems. These are just 3 lines long, have 5 syllables in the first and third lines and 7 syllables in their second line. To help celebrate #LondonTreeWeek the theme will be Trees. What better place to do that than in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Gardens as it hosts an Ice Age Tree Trail.

Book your free place at: Eventbrite

Tree walk: Uncovering the natural history of Crystal Palace Park

7pm-8:30pm

Meet outside Crystal Palace rail station (Overground/Southern)

Come and pick up some tree identification skills and learn about the forgotten landscape of the Great North Wood. This free walk is led by the London Wildlife Trust.

Find out more at: www.wildlondon.org.uk

www.facebook.com/TheGreatNorthWood

www.twitter.com/GreatNorthWood

Email: Sam Bentley-Toon [email protected], call: 07734 599286

Tree Stories of London exhibition

(runs to 10 June)

Lower Ground Floor (map area), City Hall

This small exhibition tells the stories of 14 people and the trees that matter to them for all sorts of reasons - from a Plane tree in Battersea Park to a Tangerine Tree in Myatts Field North. The exhibition has been organised by The Woodland Trust as part of a call for a Charter for Trees, Woods and People. Share your own tree story when you visit.

Wandering Tree

All day

Outside Simmons-Simmons, City Point , One Ropemaker Street, EC2Y 9SS

Come and see the Wandering Tree! The Wandering Tree is a large piece of pavement art. Have your photo taken on its leafy branches and hear more about the Tree Charter.

Trees and woodlands talk

10:30am-11:15am

At Oak Farm Library, Sutton Court Road, Hillingdon, UB10 9PB

Nearest Tube: Hillingdon (Piccadilly), 800m

Join the London Wildlife Trust for a talk looking at trees and woodlands. Find out about their use and management, past present and future. No booking required. Donations appreciated.

Find out more at the London Wildlife Trust website.

Email: Andy Willmore [email protected]

Discovering the plants and wildlife of Addington Hills and Bramley Bank

11:30am-2:30pm

Meet at Coombe Lane Tramlink stop, Croydon

Join the London Wildlife Trust on a guided walk and learn more about the trees, plants and birds found of these fantastic woods and heaths. Free, no booking required.

Find out more at the London Wildlife Trust website.

Email: Mike Waller [email protected], call: 07505028037

Tall Tree Stories at Brockwell Park

3pm-4pm

Meet outside the Brockwell Hall café, Brockwell Park, SE24

Come and enjoy a fun family day out. The children will love hearing stories about trees some true, some not. They can also make up their own tall tree stories too. We’ve all heard an ‘old wives tale’ or two about a tree, here's your chance to test your wits and your storytelling powers - to discover which stories are tree or false.

For accompanied children aged 7+ (siblings, parents and grandparents welcome).

Book your free place at: Eventbrite

Tree Time at Foots Cray Meadows

10.30am-1pm

Meet at the Foots Cray Meadows Information Centre, access from the Rectory Lane Car Park, DA14 5BP

Join the Friends of Foots Cray Meadows to find out more about trees recently planted in the Meadows. The session will include tree identification skills and an opportunity to learn about woodland management on the Meadows and meet Bexley’s Tree Officers. There will be a short walk to the ancient sweet chestnut tree returning to the centre for refreshments.

Free. No booking required.

Find out more: www.footscraymeadows.org

Treemendous Fun pre-school workshop

10.30am-12 noon

Brockwell Park, SE24

Join Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses for this family session. Come and have treemendous good fun with us during London Tree Week. You’ll be bringing the trees to life, making 3D sculptures, giving trees faces and seeing what it’s like to be a bird and make your own nest.

For under 5s. Cost: £5 / £2.50 low income. Book your place at: www.brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk/event/treemendous-fun-pre-school-workshop/

Where’s your canopy? A walk around the Elephant and Castle urban forest

11am-12:30pm

Meet outside The Coronet, next door to the shopping centre on New Kent Road, SE1 6TJ

Writer and urban forest activist Guy Mannes-Abbott leads this walk. After a local campaign, Lend Lease - the developers of Elephant Park - formally recognised the ‘public welfare value’ of the urban forest at the old Heygate Estate. They promised to keep, restore and increase the existing canopy through and beyond this last major redevelopment site in central London. More than two years on, come and see what’s happened to the forest and what progress has been made. Book your free place: [email protected]

You’ll then be emailed more details.

Tree walk: Uncovering the natural history of One Tree Hill

2pm-3:30pm

Meet at the gates to St Augustine’s Church, Honor Oak Park, SE23 3LE

Nearest station: Honor Oak Park (Overground/Southern), 500mJoin London Wildlife Trust for a guided walk around one of the largest remaining fragments of the Great North Wood. Pick up some tree identification skills and learn about the wood’s forgotten landscape. Free.

Find out more: www.wildlondon.org.uk

www.facebook.com/TheGreatNorthWood

www.twitter.com/GreatNorthWood

Email: Sam Bentley-Toon, [email protected], call: 07734 599286

Beginners' Tree Walk in Alexandra Park

2pm-3pm

Meet at the Bedford Road entrance to Alexandra Park, N22 7AY

Have you ever wondered what all the different trees are? Join the Friends of Alexandra Park for this tree walk to look at some of the commonest trees, and enjoy distinguishing one from another. The walk won't include conifers or "exotic" trees, those are for another time.

Find out more: www.friendsofalexandrapark.org

Tree Walk: Beddington Park, Sutton,

10am-11am

Meet by the Grange Play Centre in the London Road Car Park, SM6 7BT

Come and discover some of the interesting and older trees in Beddington Park. You can also learn how to identify some of the most common tree species growing there.

Find out more about Beddington Park on Sutton Council’s website.

To book your free place email: [email protected].

The wooded delights of a Triangle

11am-1pm

Meet at entrance to Gunnersbury Triangle, Bollo Lane, Chiswick, W4 5LW

Nearest station Chiswick Park (Piccadilly), 50m

Discover the woodland delights of Gunnersbury Triangle on this guided walk by the London Wildlife Trust. Come and learn about the characteristic features of some of the trees and how to use these to identify them. Free.

Find out more: www.wildlondon.org.uk

Email: Mike Fray, [email protected], call: 07734 599729