Ladywell Fields Orchard Volunteer Session - Saturday 1st December - 10.30 am -12.00 noon

The Orchard Project have helped us to buy two new plum trees for Ladywell Fields orchard. They are of a new variety, Marjorie's seedling, expanding the diversity of our plums. This is a traditional variety which is self-fertile but will also cross pollinate with the trees we already have, increasing the crop. Late autumn is the perfect time to plant them.

We have planned a planting day for Saturday 1st December. Please come along to help and maybe learn something new about tree planting. Rendezvous at the orchard in the south end of Ladywell Fields, near the Bournville Road entrance. Under 16s need to be supervised by their responsible adult. Please bring your own work gloves if you have them, but some tools will also be available to borrow.

Please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk if interested, so we can gauge numbers and let you know if there is any hitch in the plan. The planting day is based on the expected delivery week, but if the trees haven't actually arrived or the weather is very bad we may need to postpone to the following Saturday. 

Tree canopy cover

London City Hall have released a new tree canopy map aiming to show every single tree, using Google Earth imagery and machine-learning techniques.  The map section of Ladywell Fields shows in detail how tree growth is concentrated along the course of river Ravensbourne and the railway banks. 

Previous estimates of London's tree cover were based on statistical sampling. This new analysis is  based on high-resolution aerial imagery and artificial intelligence and claims to be approximately 94% accurate.  It will be used to pinpoint exactly where trees are and which parts of London should be targeted for tree planting projects. 

The Mayor has committed to increasing tree canopy cover by 10 per cent by 2050.  Considering even just the impact of climate change to be absorbed over that time scale, this does not seem a very ambitious target.  Currently, London has about one tree per inhabitant and a tree canopy covering around 21 per cent of the capital’s land area.

See the map in its entirety at https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/parks-green-spaces-and-biodiversity/trees-and-woodlands/tree-canopy-cover-map. The map is a European Space Agency funded project, produced by Breadboard Labs in collaboration with the Greater London Authority.