TV presenter visits Leeds for podcast on urban trees

The urban trees of Leeds have been made the unlikely subject of a podcast which normally explores areas of woodland across the country.
TV presenter Adam Shaw, who has been in Leeds for the latest episode of his podcast series Woodland Walks.TV presenter Adam Shaw, who has been in Leeds for the latest episode of his podcast series Woodland Walks.
TV presenter Adam Shaw, who has been in Leeds for the latest episode of his podcast series Woodland Walks.

TV presenter Adam Shaw - of Panorama (BBC One), Money Box (Radio 4) and Tonight (ITV1) - has chosen to feature the work Leeds is doing to encourage more trees in the latest episode of his podcast series Woodland Walks, for the Woodland Trust.

During the half-hour long show, he learns about the important of trees in busy, built-up areas as well the city’s work to boost its quota in the future.

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In the podcast, the Woodland Trust’s Joe Coles explained that trees where people live are a “significant benefit” to society and ecology and hailed Leeds as a good example of how to incorporate woodland into an urban environment.

Podcast broadcast: From left: Dr Catherine Scott, of the University of Leeds, Victoria Phillips, of Woodland Trust, and presenter Adam Shaw.Podcast broadcast: From left: Dr Catherine Scott, of the University of Leeds, Victoria Phillips, of Woodland Trust, and presenter Adam Shaw.
Podcast broadcast: From left: Dr Catherine Scott, of the University of Leeds, Victoria Phillips, of Woodland Trust, and presenter Adam Shaw.

He said the city is more “forward thinking”, with council decision-makers acknowledging the importance of trees.

“When you start thinking of trees as a public asset, it makes a lot more sense to put the time and effort and money into planting those trees properly.”

Tree-planting in Leeds nowadays involves navigating around the complicated underground infrastructure of the city.

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Joe described the use of a milk crate-type structure filled with soil, to support the tree’s roots, the road above and protect the network of underground cables and pipes from damage in the future.

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One particular tree, in Dortmund Square in the city centre, was highlighted in the podcast as a “symbol of hope” - showcasing how a tree can be planted successfully in the hardest of landscapes.

The London plane tree was planted in 2015 as a technological case study in one of the busiest areas of the city - both overground and underground - with very little soil.

Presenter Adam Shaw said: “This is a sign that you can plant trees, reintroduce greenery, right in the centre of towns, even in the most difficult of circumstances.”

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He also met with Dr Catherine Scott, from the University of Leeds, who explained the importance of urban trees for wildlife - with just one tree being enough to link habitats together - as well as for the emotional well-being of people who live in cities.

However she described a study carried out on the university campus which showed the current practice of replacing a felled tree with three young trees fails to match the original’s ability for capturing particles of pollution and carbon in the atmosphere.

Her study found it would in fact take 30 years for the three young trees to reach the same level - a luxury of time which cities can rarely afford, with constant redevelopment.

But she said she remains optimistic that people are beginning to take note for the future: “We are starting to see, because of climate change, a bit more of a focus from people who are tasked with planning and development of a city. They do now have this on their agenda as something they need to be planning for.”

To listen to the podcast visit http://woodlandtrust.libsyn.com

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