Trees and the Urban Forest

Mission Statement

We will protect, promote, care for and improve Islington’s Urban Forest by managing the trees for the long term benefit of the community.

Award Winning Service

We recently won the Forestry Commission and Mayor of London's Award for Excellence in Tree and Woodland Work by a Public Body'. For further information, see under Related Information on the right of this page.

Benefits of Trees

Trees are of benefit to the urban environment in many ways:

• Trees filter airborne dust and pollution
• Trees absorb traffic noise in built-up areas
• Trees reduce temperature extremes and generate breezes
• Trees act as a screen, increasing privacy in residential roads and gardens
• Trees provide shade and can make buildings up to 20% cooler in summer
• Trees convert carbon dioxide to oxygen and increase local air quality
• Trees provide food and nesting sites for birds, insects and other animals
• Trees increase the nature conservation value of an area
• Trees provide displays of colour throughout the year
• Trees are a comparatively low maintenance addition to the landscape
• Trees act as a buffer against the stresses of modern living and improve quality of life
• Trees provide psychological and health benefits and have been shown to reduce stress significantly
• Trees increase local property values - estate agent windows will always show more expensive properties being in "tree lined streets"
• Trees help prevent flooding by catching rain and reducing run-off from buildings and car parks

For more information about trees in Islington and how we manage them, look under the Main Menu on the left.