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Tilia Trees and Wild Streets

Tilia Trees and Wild Streets

February 2024

Tilia Trees and Wild Streets

CPD hours or CEU points available

With Dr Carrie Brady, Helene Kile and Ascha Pedersen

Tilia is a genus of broad-leaved temperate forest trees consisting of around 23 species, however only three species are native to the UK, including the large-leaved lime (Tilia platyphyllos), the small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata) and their hybrid the common lime (Tilia x europaea). These Tilia species occur naturally across the UK, but due to their poor ability to colonise they are often rare or absent in new forests and are more frequently found in old woodlands. Therefore, they are considered ancient woodland indicators, and their presence can be used to recognise these biologically important woodlands. The value of Tilia is further highlighted by the range of ecosystem services they provide to the UK woodlands and urban forests, including enhanced soil nutrient status and nutrient cycling, improved air quality, support of biodiversity and carbon sequestration. However, the naturally occurring population of Tilia is considered highly fragmented due to a declining distribution, which leaves them vulnerable to ecological deterioration.

Due to the changing climate in the UK, there has been a rise in the emergence of plant pathogens and pests on new hosts. Currently, there are 30 risks to Tilia listed on the UK Plant Health Risk Register; and over the past ten years, there have been increasing reports of Tilia species and hybrids with symptoms of bleeding cankers in several counties in the UK. In 2020 a novel bacterial species, Brenneria tiliae, was isolated from bleeding cankers of Tilia along with the bacteria known to cause acute oak decline. These cankers also tested positive for the presence of Phytophthora. Given the pathogenic potential of the bacteria associated with AOD, particularly the genus Brenneria, and the devastating environmental effects caused by Phytophthora species, either or both microorganisms may constitute a new threat to an already deteriorating Tilia population in the UK. The aim of the current research project is to (1) develop a detection protocol for symptomatic Tilia, (2) determine the pathogenicity and incidence of Brenneria and Phytophthora spp. on Tilia, (3) describe the symptoms of the potential novel disease observed in Tilia and (4) determine the current and future threats posed by pests and diseases to Tilia trees. Overall, this research will be key to increasing our understanding of the occurrence and impact of Phytophthora infections in Tilia trees and could provide novel insight into the role played by bacteria such as B. tiliae in the disease cankers. This could contribute towards better planting, conservation and protection strategies for Tilia and may reveal the future threats posed by these microorganisms to the declining population of Tilia in the UK. The results could inform foresters, landowners, and stakeholders about the choice of resilient Tilia planting stocks.

Helene Kile

Helene Kile

I am a second-year PhD student at the University of the West of England (UWE) with a deep-rooted interest and respect for nature. This can be traced back to my early years, growing up in the Norwegian countryside surrounded by pine forests. Following a Bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, my interest in plant pathology led me to pursue a Masters in Research degree at UWE which included a lab-based project working with Carrie to screen bacterial samples isolated from bleeding cankers of Tilia. My PhD project focuses on investigating Tilia trees, more commonly known as lime or linden, suffering from Phytophthora-induced bleeding cankers. The project builds upon my master's research where several potential pathogenic bacterial species were frequently isolated from these cankers, leading to the hypothesis that they may have a pathogenic role. By comparing the bacterial microbiome of the cankers to that of healthy trees I aim to determine differences and pinpoint potential pathogens. Further pathogenicity testing of these will be conducted aiming to elucidate their role within the canker microbiome and whether they could contribute to disease progression.

Dr Carrie Brady

Dr Carrie Brady

I obtained my PhD in microbiology from the University of Pretoria, South Africa in 2008 with my research focused on identification and classification of bacteria causing bacterial blight and dieback of Eucalyptus. I went on to complete two post-doctoral research fellowships at the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) at the University of Pretoria and the BCCM/LMG Bacteria Collection, Gent University, Belgium between 2009 and 2010, building on the classification scheme designed during my PhD to include all plant-pathogenic and -associated members of a family of bacteria called the Enterobacteriaceae. I joined the University of the West of England (UWE) in 2011 as a research fellow to work on taxonomy, pathogenicity and interactions of the bacteria associated with Acute Oak Decline (AOD), in collaboration with Forest Research funded by the charity Woodland Heritage. In 2022, I took up a senior lecturer position at UWE to teach genetics and genomics. In recent years, my research has expanded into screening bleeding cankers of other broadleaf hosts to determine if the AOD bacteria are present on hosts other than oak, with funding from the Bacterial Plant Disease Programme of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. I am currently leading a new project, in collaboration with Westonbirt Arboretum and funded by the Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum, to evaluate the risks to lime (Tilia) trees following the discovery of a new bacterial species which may play a role in bleeding canker of lime along with the AOD-associated bacteria and Phytophthora. I am a board member of the British Society for Plant Pathology, as well as a full member of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP) and Committee on Taxonomy of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria (ISPP-CTPPB). Additionally, I am a regular reviewer for several scientific journals with a focus on plant and forest pathogens and bacterial taxonomy.

Ascha Pedersen

Ascha Pedersen

Wild Streets, CEO and Founder

Presentation: The future of placemaking: 4D/AR software for visualisation of green infrastructure and ecosystem service benefits

Wild Streets is the world's most advanced engagement and visualization tool for the design and planning of green urban places.

It offers an augmented reality app (free to the public) to engage and consult with by visualizing/co-designing future green infrastructure and the ecosystem service benefits it has to offer and at the same time a desktop-based SaaS tool for professionals and the public sector. It combines scientific data with high-quality 3D models of trees, plants, and street furniture - enabling the insightful design of tomorrow's green, inclusive cities. Most significantly, Wild Streets offers you to view future urban landscapes in 4D by enabling species to change across season and over time. Wild Streets is cost-effective at heart, and accessible to budgets of all sizes, making it a gamer changer for the work of many councils and professional practices.

Ascha is a macroeconomist with more than a decade of experience at UN agencies, building on the multifaceted concepts and impacts of sustainable, inclusive development. Thinking big picture, she loves shaping connections between people, ideas, and technology. Her eagerness to innovate tools for communication and knowledge distribution has repeatedly pushed the bar within the organizations she has worked with: From developing the first-of-its-kind database on international energy efficiency policies presented at the World Energy Summit to drafting a chapter in the prototype UN Global Sustainable Development Report. The idea for Wild Streets was born in London, where she also observed clear socioeconomic disparities in access to nature and green infrastructure. Having previously mainly taken a top-down approach to sustainability in her work, Wild Streets represented a welcoming opportunity to facilitate bottom-up change by empowering locals.

April 2024

Biodiversity Net Gain: Trees and Woods

With With Amanda Newsome and Jim Smith

The Arboricultural Association is hosting a special one-off webinar to provide an overview of the new Biodiversity Net Gain regulations and how they work in relation to trees and woods.

March 2024

Tree careers

With Cecily Withall, Sharon Durdant-Hollamby and Louise Hackett

The Arboricultural Association Women in Arboriculture Working Group presents a special International Women’s Day Webinar 'Tree careers' with Cecily Withal, Sharon Durdant-Hollamby and Louise Hackett.

February 2024

Street Tree Survival in Philadelphia and Canopy Soils

With Levon Bigelow and Korena Mafune

Street trees are important, highly visible components of the urban forest, providing ecosystem services (e.g., shade) directly to communities. Street tree mortality can result in a loss of ecosystem services for which the trees are planted, particularly premature mortality accelerated by local biophysical and human factors. My study involved a systematic, repeated inventory and mortality analysis of street tree populations in Philadelphia, PA.

February 2024

Tilia Trees and Wild Streets

With Dr Carrie Brady, Helene Kile and Ascha Pedersen

Tilia in the limelight: exploring the bacterial microbiome of diseased lime trees

February 2024

Why do we lose so many trees?

With Russell Miller and James Chambers

Why do so many urban trees get felled unnecessarily? This webinar will look at how bad law, poor risk management and weak arboriculture cause premature tree loss; identifying where the law and arboriculture must improve if they are to maintain public confidence through the biodiversity and climate crisis.

January 2024

Tree decay: a few questions still worth asking

With Dr David Lonsdale

David Lonsdale took on the job of leading a research project on decay in amenity trees.

January 2024

Roots

With Kristin Moldestad and Olve Lundetræ

Arboricultural Association is hosting a free live seminar featuring Kristin Moldestad and Olve Lundetræ.

Buy Roots here

January 2024

Beating the tree greenwash; my top tips for making urban greening happen

With Jeremy Barrell

Arboricultural Association is hosting a free live seminar featuring Jeremy Barrell.

January 2024

Forests before humans - from the first trees to the Ice ages

With Sir Harry Studholme

How trees evolved, from photosynthesis to the ice age. Their part in the last 380 million years of planetary history.

January 2024

Ancient Trees and Planning

With Jim Mullholland and Emma Gilmartin

Jim Mullholland and Emma Gilmartin joins us for a fascinating webinar centered around veteran trees and planning.

December 2023

Woodlands at War: The Impact and Legacy of WWI and WWII on Britain’s Woodlands

With Clive Mayhew

This webinar focuses on the largely overlooked contribution made by British woodlands over two world wars.

December 2023

Tree Selection for climate resilience

With Henrik Sjöman and Arit Anderson

There is an increasingly positive attitude towards trees and tree planting in urban environments, not only among landscape professionals, but from those who previously did not understand the importance of the urban canopy.

December 2023

Britain’s Ancient Forest - Legacy and Lore

With Julian Hight

Julian explores the story of Britain’s ancient forest told through its remaining ancient trees and surviving customs – living links to our rich history – accompanied by specially written forest music and archive photography.

November 2023

A farmer’s guide to ash dieback

With Eleanor Marks (LEAF) and Berglind Karlsdóttir (Forest Research)

Arboricultural Association is hosting a free live seminar featuring Eleanor Marks (LEAF) and Berglind Karlsdóttir (Forest Research)

November 2023

Thinking Arbs with Ted Green and friends – TREETIME

With Ted Green and friends

To celebrate the launch of his new book Treetime, the Arboricultural Association is hosting a free live seminar featuring Ted Green and some special guests.

Buy Treetime here

February 2023

Trees and Storms

With With Andrew Koeser and Allyson Salisbury

The last in this current webinar series is a FREE live webinar exploring the research around trees and storms.

February 2023

Trees in Development

With Sharon Durdant-Hollamby and Luke Fay

In this webinar we endeavour to delve into trees within the development and construction industry.

February 2023

Trees and the Law

With Dr Charles Mynors and Liz Nicholls

We welcome Dr Charles Mynors and Liz Nicholls to our webinars with talks and discussions around the subject of trees and the law.

January 2023

Guidance on Soil Assessment for Trees

With Claire Harbinson and Simon Parfey

Claire Harbinson and Simon Parfey, from Treework Environmental Practice, join us to discuss Guidance on Soil Assessment for Trees.

January 2023

European tree standards and the dangers of tree planting

With Jarek Kolařík and Martin Tušer

We welcome Jarek Kolařík and Martin Tušer to discuss the benefits and challenges of recent European Standards within tree care.

January 2023

Thinking Arbs: Retrenchment

With Ted Green and Reg Harris

Ted Green, Reg Harris and friends join us for a webinar to discuss retrenchment.

December 2022

Arbor Day: Time for Trees

With Charlotte Bancroft and Dan Lambe

The significance of a day for communities to celebrate the efforts of those who plant and advocate for trees in and around their urban forests. It's an opportunity to engage the public in more than a drive for planting with a focus on large numbers of trees without consideration, but of the importance of getting it right. Arbor Day UK seeks to give the industry visibility and credibility whilst encouraging growth. Empowering school children in tree planting activities could lead to present and future growth.