Ninety trees will be planted along a 150m stretch of one of the country’s busiest and most congested roads, creating an urban micro-forest, which will act as a green screen, shielding the Gardens from traffic fumes and noise pollution.
The carefully designed woodland-edge habitat will feature 50 densely planted silver birches, along with other native tree species including hazels, field maples and whitebeams. The 300m2 micro-forest will also have a mix of 200 native shrubs and herbaceous plants and more than 2,000 bulbs, with the existing grass left to return to meadow.
Garden designer, TV presenter and Horniman Ambassador Joe Swift is championing the London Road Tree Planting Appeal, which aims to raise £10,000.
The Horniman Gardens have always been a wonderful resource for all of the local community, and this past year has seen them play an even more important role in helping people’s mental health and wellbeing. But the Gardens and the wildlife that live there suffer from noise and air pollution at an increasing rate. This year, this problem will be tackled, by creating this brilliant barrier from the main road, but we need your help.
A donation of £60 could purchase a tree to provide shade and improve air quality for years to come – a single silver birch tree (Betula pendula) can absorb up to 3,100 kilograms of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.
Smaller donations of £15 or £30 could purchase plants and bulbs to ensure the barrier between the garden and the main road is planted with layers of vegetation and supports as much wildlife as possible.
The development of the new woodland area is part of the Horniman Museum and Gardens’ ongoing commitment to tackling the climate and ecological emergency.
Read more about the London Road Tree Planting Appeal and make a donation.
[1] Source: https://ecobnb.com/blog/2019/03/anti-smog-trees/