London meets the criteria of being a forest because, according to the book London is a Forest by Paul Wood, there's the right number of trees, plants and wildlife in a certain amount of space. As of May 2019, there were 8.6 million people and 8.3 million trees in a 600 square mile area - and that made London a forest.
Full Answer
Can London be classified as a forest?
I strolled through a wood last week and didn’t even realise it. According to a UN definition, London can be classified as a forest, its 8.4 million trees – almost one for every person – adorning and detoxifying this great city.
Where are the best forests in London?
Getting There: Richmond Station by train or underground. Probably the best-known forest near London, Epping Forest is an expansive forest that starts in the north-east reaches of the city. If you’re looking for somewhere to grab a few lungfuls of fresh air, the largest outdoor space in the London area feels like a good place to start.
What is the best outdoor space in London?
Epping Forest Probably the best-known forest near London, Epping Forest is an expansive forest that starts in the north-east reaches of the city. If you’re looking for somewhere to grab a few lungfuls of fresh air, the largest outdoor space in the London area feels like a good place to start.
Why is London’s urban forest so important?
The plants that make up London’s urban forest is important. Trees soak up pollution: nitrogen oxides, ammonia and sulphur dioxide are absorbed through their leaves, bark and roots (important, for a city that’s swamped by toxic levels of the stuff).
Is London classified as a forest?
In fact, while it might not always seem like it, London is so packed with foliage that it's technically a forest. That's according to a United Nations definition that states that a forest is anywhere that's at least 20 percent trees. London's a respectable 21 percent.
Why is London technically a forest?
In London, 8.6 million people are crammed into just 600 square miles alongside 8.3 million trees, and millions upon millions of other plants, insects and animals. According to one UN definition, this makes the city a forest. The Forestry Commission agree, describing London as the world's largest urban forest.
How much of London is forest?
21 per centLondon's urban forest contains an estimated 8.4 million trees and covers around 21 per cent of the city's land area.
Is London the biggest forest?
London's 3,000 parks offer a wonderful dose of nature, making the city one of the greenest urban hubs in the world. London is the world's largest urban forest, 388,400 acres of it, an actual forest made of more than 8 million trees.
Is the UK a forest?
How many forests are there in the UK? According to the latest report by Forest Research, which was released in June 2021, the UK has 1.41 million hectares, including all Forestry Commission, Forestry and Land Scotland, Natural Resources Wales, Forest Service woodland.
Does London have more trees than people?
Most people would never think of London as a forest. Yet there are actually more trees in London than people. And now, new work by researchers at University College London shows that pockets of this urban jungle store as much carbon per hectare as tropical rainforests.
How much of London is covered in trees?
around 21 per centLondon has more than 8 million trees, covering around 21 per cent of the capital's land area.
Why are trees in cages in London?
In England, a significant proportion of this will be with broadleaved trees which must have adequate protection to ensure successful establishment. Tree shelters and guards are an effective means of establishing broadleaved trees, providing protection from browsing mammals and enhancing tree growth.
Which city has the most trees?
1. Singapore. Singapore is known for its varied and sleek high rises and even its emphasis on plazas or trees. By the year 2030, Singapore hopes to expand its overall green space even more.
Where is the biggest tree in London?
However, with help from @TiCLme, we came to the conclusion that the Turkey oak (Quercus cerris) in Theobalds Park, Cheshunt, is London's tallest tree.
Which city has the most trees in the UK?
Most of the trees in the UK are concentrated in the south of the country. Surrey Heath in London has the highest percentage.
What country has the largest forest within a city?
Urban forests around the world Some sources claim that the largest man-made urban forest in the world is located in Johannesburg in South Africa.
When is London a Forest book coming out?
My second book, ‘London is a Forest’ was published on 2nd May 2019. This book documents my travels around London’s urban forest through a series of six ‘forest trails’. I pounded the streets, footpaths and byways of the city looking at the surprising nature found here, from the edge of the greenbelt to the heart of the metropolis.
Who is the author of Urban Forest?
Through these paths that meander through the urban forest, author Paul Wood explores its geography, its past and future, and looks at the remarkable variety of life supported in this unique metropolitan ecosystem.
What is a wild wood?
At first glance, this does not chime with our childhood idea of the `wild wood’ – a dark entanglement of trees, where humans fear to tread. But a forest does not need to be dense and impenetrable, and it’s not unheard of for people to live in them either.
Is London a forest?
According to one UN definition, this makes the city a forest. The Forestry Commission agree, describing London as the world’s largest urban forest. And it’s a very special, urban forest at that.
Introduction
In March 2002, London was classified as an urban forest by the Forestry Commission. According to official sources, 20% (or ~31,000 hectares) of the area of Greater London is covered by tree canopy.
Datasets
To explore this further, there is a dataset that we can use: NASA's MOD44B V6 dataset, which is publicly available for download and fits the requirement of having been annotated using automated methods. This dataset is derived from raw satellite images and stored in HDF format.
Data Processing
We need to obtain the two datasets (NASA satellite images and the geographic boundary of Greater London) and transform them into a common format so that we can do the intersection. People who want to be creative with multiple data sources, for example, data journalists and data scientists, are faced with this challenge all the time.
Prerequisites
To follow the tutorial, you need to check out the code on GitHub, and you also need to have Docker and Docker Compose installed. Please refer to this tutorial for installing Docker and this one for Docker Compose.
Tools we're going to use
We're going to use Postgres to store the spatial objects we create. The boundary of Greater London is a spatial object, and all the rectangles that can be derived from the HDF files are also spatial objects.
Answering the Question
Now that the rectangles with the tree cover information and the boundary area are in the same format and in the same database, the question can be answered with one SQL query.
Closing Thoughts
We answered the question of the percentage of tree cover in London using a different starting dataset and different methodology, and, happily, we reached a result which is very close to the result of the original study — it does confirm that 20% of the area of Greater London is covered with trees.
What is the most common tree in London?
Sycamore (8 percent), English oak (8 percent) and hawthorn (7 percent) are the most common in Outer London. The iTree study recorded 126 species, not counting the 2,000 species and varieties found at Kew Gardens.
What is the London plane?
The London plane may be a hybrid between an Oriental plane, brought to Britain in the 16th century, and an American sycamore, imported in the early 17th century. One of each was indeed present in that Vauxhall nursery.
Why was the London plane chosen?
Because of those qualities, the London plane was chosen for mass plantings across the city, to provide much-needed greenery during its rapid expansion in the 19th century. But the London plane is not just hardy, it's also quite ornamental.
Where was the Ubiquitous tree discovered?
The species was discovered in the 17th century in a nursery garden in Vauxhall, on the south bank of the Thames.
Is London a forest?
Did you know that London qualifies as a forest? The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization defines a forest as a contiguous area with at least 10 percent tree canopy cover. Greater London's trees manage more than double that (21 percent).
Where is the Epping Forest?
Probably the best-known forest near London, Epping Forest is an expansive forest that starts in the north-east reaches of the city . If you’re looking for somewhere to grab a few lungfuls of fresh air, the largest outdoor space in the London area feels like a good place to start.
Where is the Ashdown Forest?
The Ashdown Forest is one of my personal favourite forests around London – not only does this pretty forest stretch to over 2,500 hectares of public land, it was also the inspiration and setting for A.A Milne’s Winnie the Pooh. You’ll find plenty of Pooh-related spots dotted across the forest.
How big is Banstead Woods?
Spread out over 93 hectares, the woods are situated on chalk, clay and gravel formations, with each type providing different habitats for flora and fauna.
How many acres are there in Hainault Forest?
One of the last remaining sections of the ancient Forest of Essex, Hainault Forest is a beautiful stretch of woodland near London that stretches over a sizable 336- acres. With more than 1,000 bird and animal species and near-endless footpaths, there’s plenty of reason to return again and again.
What is Croydon known for?
Selsdon Woods. Croydon is (rather unfairly I might say) known for many things – the unfortunate Croydon facelift among them, but did you know the borough boasts a plethora of green spaces including the stunning Selsdon Wood Nature Reserve.
Where is Highgate Wood in London?
Although nearby Hampstead Heath dominates talk of outdoor spaces in North London, 28-hectare Highgate Wood is worthy of your attention. Tucked away between Highgate, Finchley and Muswell Hill, the woods were originally a part of the much-larger ancient Forest of Middlesex – a place so old it was mentioned in the Domesday Book.
What is the wildlife information hut?
There’s a wildlife information hut to help you identify the nature you spot in the woods and, despite its relatively small size, a variety of areas and habitats to keep things interesting. In true London style, there’s also a cafe to make sure you’re never too far away from sustenance.
Who is Paul Wood?
About the Author. A constant explorer of the city and the irrepressible, boisterous nature it supports, Paul Wood is author of London's Street Trees: a Field Guide to the Urban Forest, the first book on the city's frontline trees . He was a Trustee of the London Wildlife Trust for many years, and now leads frequent walks exploring London's ...
Is Paul Wood's excitement for London trees and tree spaces?
Yes, after reading this you will share Paul Wood's excitement for London trees and tree spaces. It's a big idea and could have benefited from more pictures and maps. GPS co-ordinates references good for walkers. Read more.
When was London Forest formed?
History. London Forest was formed as one of the eleven operating units of London Buses in readiness for privatisation. It commenced operating on 1 April 1989, being managed by Tom Young, who had previously worked for Midland Red North before moving to London Transport. The company employed around 1,300 staff and owned 370 buses.
What is the Forest logo?
The company's logo was a stylised image of an oak tree . Forest was wound up in 1991 when the tenders to operate eleven routes in the Walthamstow area were won on the basis of reduced costs. A proposed wage cut and closure of Leyton garage led to strike action which saw the routes lost.
