Autumn Webinar Series: Improving Tree Selection Using Plant Traits – Dr Andrew Hirons

Andrew D. Hirons is a Senior Lecturer in Arboriculture at University Centre Myerscough, UK. He teaches modules relating to tree biology, tree establishment and tree management. His current research activity is motivated by the need to create resilience in our urban forests, and is focused on using plant traits to inform species selection for urban environments. This work has resulted in a number of publications, including Species Selection for Green Infrastructure: A Guide for Specifiers published by Trees and Design Action Group (TDAG). Andrew is also the co-author of Applied Tree Biology, published by Wiley Blackwell.

Tree species selection will play an increasingly important role in the establishment and performance of our future urban forest. High quality guidance on species selection is scarce or dispersed across a wide range of literature. This has led to an over-reliance on tree nursery literature to inform selection decisions. Consequently, there is a need to consolidate information on tree species selection and make it widely available to those with responsibility for procuring trees for our future urban forest. This presentation will summarise how key plant traits, such as leaf turgor loss and the water potential at 50% loss of hydraulic conductivity, can be used to improve the quality of information available on species selection. It will also introduce a new Trees and Design Action Group guide Tree Selection for Green Infrastructure: A guide for specifiers.