City Hall has called for thousands of London’s ancient trees to be protected after a 500-year-old oak was felled in Enfield and the world-famous Sycamore Gap tree was axed in a mindless act of “drunken stupidity”.
The London Assembly has written to the government calling for stronger protections for all trees over 100 years old in the capital, asking it to explore what further measures could be introduced to shield trees from harm.
London is home to nearly as many trees as people, with 8.4 million in the capital and thousands of ancient trees can be found along London’s streets, woodlands and in its many parks.
Campaigners have been calling for greater protections for London’s trees after a centuries-old oak was hacked down by a Toby Carvery in Whitewebbs Wood in Enfield.
In a letter to Environment Secretary Steve Reed this week, Leonie Cooper, the chair of City Hall’s Environment Committee, asked for a review of the existing legislation to protect trees and to explore “much needed” enhanced protections.
The London Assembly Member wrote: “Mature and ancient trees play a vital role in maintaining local ecosystems, offering irreplaceable habitats, and supporting biodiversity.
“Yet, many of these trees remain vulnerable. The recent felling of a 500-year-old oak tree on the edge of Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, underscored to the London Assembly Environment Committee this vulnerability.
“Despite being listed on the Woodland Trust’s ancient tree inventory, it appears to have been needlessly felled.”
The Enfield Oak is often referred to as the “Guy Fawkes Oak” as it would have been alive in 1605 when the Gunpowder Plot was planned metres away from it at Whitewebbs House.
It is thought to have been in the top 100 of London's 600,000 oak trees in terms of its size before it was cut down.
The oak was considered by ecologists to be “priceless,” providing habitat for up to 2,300 species of local wildlife.
Following the felling, legal experts told the Standard Toby Carvery’s owners may have to pay more than a million pounds in damages for the destruction caused.
The incident followed the high-profile “mindless destruction” of the Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland in September 2023.
The two men who cut down the famous tree out of “sheer bravado” were both jailed for four years and three months on Tuesday.
Former friends Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were convicted of criminal damage to the much-loved tree, which had stood for more than 100 years in a fold in the Northumberland landscape.
Andrew Gurney, who represented Mr Carruthers, said the “mindless act” was “no more than drunken stupidity”.
Ms Cooper highlighted that the Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has set targets to increase canopy cover in the capital by 10% by 2050.
She continued: “Achieving the target will not only require the planting of new trees, but also ensuring that existing trees are sufficiently protected. In our recent meeting, we heard action is needed to strengthen the safeguards for London’s mature and ancient trees.”
The London Assembly has asked the Government to broaden the criteria for a tree to be eligible for a Tree Preservation Order (TPO), a measure which provides the plants with legal protection.
It also asked for all trees over 100 years old in the capital to be automatically designated with TPOs.
