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Future Great Trees of London - The Dorchester Hotel and Plane Tree

This project is running from April 2011 – March 2012

Trees for Cities are helping to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Dorchester Hotel by planting 80 new trees across London

Last November Trees for Cities, in partnership with The Dorchester planted the first of 80 trees for London as part of the hotel’s 80^th Anniversary tree planting project. The first tree, a ‘Liriodendron Tulipifera’ or ‘Tulip Tree’ was planted on Curzon Street, Mayfair by entrepreneur Jo Wood. Roland Mouret, Lily Cole and Anya Hindmarch have also lent their support to the project.

Sharon Johnson, Jo Wood, Roland Fasel and Staff under the listed Plane tree

Inspiration for the project came from the listed Plane Tree - one of the ‘Great Trees of London’ that marks the entrance to The Dorchester, when the hotel decided to mark its 80^th anniversary by creating a legacy that would benefit the city. 79 further long living trees are being planted across London in time for the Olympics including up to 15 in Mayfair and St. James’s to form The Dorchester Anniversary Walk.

As the population of London continues to rise, space for people and trees is becoming increasingly difficult to find. Tree planting trends in recent years have shifted to smaller, shorter lived ornamental species. Whilst these trees still play a vital role in improving the city's environment, they are unable to provide the maximum benefits in climate regulation, air filtration and habitat that larger canopy trees provide. In addition the benefits of tree planting are at their highest when the trees reach maturity and so the longer a tree lives the more it has to contribute.

Trees for Cities' partnership with the Dorchester has allowed us to plant and maintain 80 of the Future Great Trees of London. These trees have been planted in cooperation with the communities that will be most impacted by them, through school workshops, community planting events and volunteer days.

This project is supported by The Dorchester.