Management of Historic Landscapes in Royal Parks

Hyde Park, London, 16 May 2007
The challenges faced by those managing trees and landscapes in London’s Royal Parks were explored: the activities of many millions of visitors have to be balanced with conserving biodiversity and maintaining a safe environment. This meeting was generously supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation.

Mike Turner, Arboricultural Officer for the Royal Parks, outlined the risk management procedure used in the Parks and demonstrated the Arbortrack system.
Nigel Reeve, Community Ecologist for the Royal Parks, gave a fascinating account of the management of ancient trees and decaying wood as an important wildlife habitat in the Parks, showing pictures of a wealth of fungi, invertebrates, birds and bats. A survey in Richmond Park in 2005–07 revealed a huge number of saproxylic beetle species.
Mark Bridger, Head Gardener at Bushy Park, described the history of the Pheasantry and Waterhouse Plantations and the stages of restoration. A walk to look at some of the trees in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens provoked discussion on issues of management, records and health and safety.

Our thanks to Mike Turner and his colleagues at the Royal Parks for hosting a day packed full of information, and to the Grosvenor House Hotel for their hospitality. We plan to provide a more detailed report of this interesting meeting on our website.