How we look after trees
We do everything we can to help every tree survive and thrive, like:
- watering – we have a major watering operation for our trees and water 30 to 50 a day, more in drought conditions. Find out how to help water Haringey street trees
- weeding – this means we pull up the grass and weeds that compete for water and nutrients around young trees. Find out how to help with weeding Haringey street trees
- root protection and mulching – this means we put down a thick layer of different materials to cover the soil, about 10cm deep and 50cm around trees, not too close to avoid trunks rotting. Find out how to help with mulching Haringey street trees
- coppicing – this means we cut trees almost to the base to allow new growth, usually in woods. You can read about coppicing on the National Trust website
- pollarding – this means we cut back tree branches to protect their health, stop them outgrowing their street space and blocking streetlights or touching overhead wires. You can read more about pollarding on the RHS website
- tree preservation order (TPO) – thousands of our trees have a formal TPO
Dying and diseased trees
All trees are inspected by a qualified and experienced tree professional. Where trees are dying or diseased, there is a serious risk that they will break and fall in a storm.
The most common disease to affect trees in Haringey is Ganoderma fungi.
Unfortunately, we need to cut down trees that are:
- dying
- badly diseased
- unplanned and have begun growing too close to buildings
If a tree is cut down because of disease, we plant another tree in its place.
You can find more information and images of diseased trees on the Forest Research website.
Find out more about how we're planting trees for a greener Haringey.