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Money doesn't grow on trees
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2016 3:19 am
by Gob
especially in Cornwall
Importing trees from Italy to create a "boulevard effect" has been called a waste of taxpayers' money after they had to be replaced with European Acer trees.
The 29 London Plane trees, which cost £1,100 each, were planted by Cornwall Council on Tolvaddon Road in Pool.
The authority said they were chosen for being good in urban areas, but they did not grow as well as expected.
Former councillor Dave Biggs described it as a "£100,000 mistake".
"The advice was very clear that the trees were unsuitable, but for whatever reason [the council] went ahead and ordered them from Italy anyway," he told BBC News.
Mr Biggs said the cost of buying, transporting, planting and maintaining the London Planes would have been in excess of £100,000, which the council could not afford to waste.
"I can't believe it's anything less than a £100,000 mistake... and for the life of me I can't understand why London Plane trees couldn't be sourced in the UK."
According to the Woodland Trust, the origin of the London Plane is uncertain, but is thought to have been brought to the UK from Spain in the 17th Century.
The council said it was unable to say why London Planes, which thrive in other UK urban settings, were used or imported from Italy, as the forestry team leader of the project in 2009 had since left the council's employment, however it said they were planted in 2010 "in accordance with recommendations".
It said that despite aftercare and watering, the trees had not developed "at a rate that was expected" and tree officers had recommended trialling some alternative species.
In a statement, it said the London Planes had been removed and replaced with 16 Acer trees at an additional cost of nearly £6,000.
Re: Money doesn't grow on trees
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2016 7:13 am
by BoSoxGal
It's always best to plant trees, shrubs, etc. raised in the area they'll be planted - so they've already hardened off to the typical climate conditions.
Isn't Italy a bit more temperate than the UK?
Re: Money doesn't grow on trees
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2016 12:06 pm
by MajGenl.Meade
Yes, but they only have Quaking Aspens
Sorry
Re: Money doesn't grow on trees
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2016 5:17 pm
by rubato
...
"I can't believe it's anything less than a £100,000 mistake... and for the life of me I can't understand why London Plane trees couldn't be sourced in the UK."
And I, for the life of me, can't understand why someone would bother to make that statement without having already researched it and provided the details. Like "I found a UK source of the same number of trees for x pounds and it was: somewheresomewhere.
It said that despite aftercare and watering, the trees had not developed "at a rate that was expected" and tree officers had recommended trialling some alternative species.
In a statement, it said the London Planes had been removed and replaced with 16 Acer trees at an additional cost of nearly £6,000.
There are a lot of factors which can influence how well a transplanted tree grows. Transplanting smaller (younger) trees can often produce more vigorous growth.* So much so that the smaller transplants pass up the larger ones in a short period of time. And there is no way of knowing how well tended the trees were before arrival, how long were they in containers? Months? Years? Were they stressed?
Well the moral of the story is you should never ever try to do anything unless you know the future for certain else people are going to bust your chops for it.
yrs,
rubato
*Per an article reprinted in the "small farmer's journal ..." ca 1990.
Re: Money doesn't grow on trees
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2016 6:25 pm
by MajGenl.Meade
https://www.paramountplants.co.uk/plant ... etree.html
Height Excluding Pot: 2-2.5m (6ft 6-8ft 2)
Plant shape: roof trained 2m x 2m
Trunk height: 200-220cm
Trunk girth: 20-25
Price: £550.00
PRE-ORDER This plant may take up to 21 days for delivery
So the Italian cost was £1,100 each. The UK price of £550 ea. doesn't include delivery and installation.
Re: Money doesn't grow on trees
Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 1:32 am
by dales
Planting and harvesting these specimens would have yielded a far better monetary return.
