http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Princes Street Gardens trees chopped down en Thu, 21 May 2026 11:52:59 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-306241 Wed, 08 May 2019 17:29:44 +0000 chdot 306241@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/we-risk-losing-edinburgh-s-princes-street-gardens-as-we-know-them-forever-cliff-hague-1-4921863" rel="nofollow">https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/we-risk-losing-edinburgh-s-princes-street-gardens-as-we-know-them-forever-cliff-hague-1-4921863</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-301685 Tue, 19 Feb 2019 17:25:44 +0000 chdot 301685@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/heartbreaking-edinburgh-reacts-to-picture-of-princes-street-gardens-looking-like-ploughed-field-1-4873953" rel="nofollow">https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/heartbreaking-edinburgh-reacts-to-picture-of-princes-street-gardens-looking-like-ploughed-field-1-4873953</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-295330 Thu, 08 Nov 2018 21:09:24 +0000 gembo 295330@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>In the style of puzzle for today</p> <p>There are nine xmas tatt huts in princes street gardens all built in between mature trees and two spaces still available. Then there are nine Xmas tatt huts rammy together at the national gallery end of the row. What is the maximum amount of tatt that can be sold in any Yuletide period? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-294927 Sat, 03 Nov 2018 21:36:04 +0000 acsimpson 294927@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>While they are busy building to the East thing seem strangely far behind schedule at the west.</p> <p><a href="https://imgur.com/H3Z7wn4"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/H3Z7wn4m.jpg?1"></a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-294924 Sat, 03 Nov 2018 20:12:05 +0000 unhurt 294924@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@jdanielp oh, stealing that </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-294921 Sat, 03 Nov 2018 17:00:41 +0000 jdanielp 294921@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Winter Wounded-Land </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-294919 Sat, 03 Nov 2018 14:54:25 +0000 gembo 294919@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@unhurt what did you call the Xmas hells cape when you were more neutral? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-294918 Sat, 03 Nov 2018 14:38:21 +0000 PS 294918@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>If only they'd done Christmas Treehouses, then everybody would've been happy.<br /> [Caveat: I'm aware that some people are never happy] </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-294916 Sat, 03 Nov 2018 14:02:23 +0000 crowriver 294916@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"If you want to see an urban tree graveyard have a look at the ones in Cameron Toll's southern car park."</p> <p>No need to head out of town: Picardy Place/Elm Row by the Omni Centre and Playhouse has a few trees left, but most of them are dead. Outside the Playhouse, decorative wrought ironwork that was supposed to protect young trees, and the supports are still there, but the trees are long gone.....an eyesore on a par with the "anti-terrorist" (?) (or anti-parking?) concrete hexagon shapes arrayed nearby. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-294913 Sat, 03 Nov 2018 12:52:51 +0000 unhurt 294913@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I used to be neutral about Edinburgh’s Xmas Hellscape. Not so much these days. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-294910 Sat, 03 Nov 2018 12:27:08 +0000 gembo 294910@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Alas no jdanielp, from scaffy </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-294900 Sat, 03 Nov 2018 11:04:33 +0000 I were right about that saddle 294900@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>We should lobby hard under fake names to have the deck retained as a car park to boost the economy. If the Seagull Frother joins in we win. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-294898 Sat, 03 Nov 2018 10:49:48 +0000 jdanielp 294898@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@gembo did they build the platform from the chopped down trees? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-294897 Sat, 03 Nov 2018 10:25:05 +0000 gembo 294897@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Ayeeeee</p> <p>That is the platform built now to allow extra Xmas Tatt huts to go in where the trees used to be. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-293952 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 18:08:40 +0000 I were right about that saddle 293952@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>If you want to see an urban tree graveyard have a look at the ones in Cameron Toll's southern car park.</p> <p>All dead of thirst, just sitting there surrounded by tarmac. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199&page=2#post-293951 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 17:29:28 +0000 sallyhinch 293951@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I've just read that too - I will never look at a beech tree in quite the same way again </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199#post-293948 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 17:09:06 +0000 unhurt 293948@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Nice Brain Pickings article about a book I just finished:</p> <p><a href="https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/09/26/the-hidden-life-of-trees-peter-wohlleben/" rel="nofollow">https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/09/26/the-hidden-life-of-trees-peter-wohlleben/</a></p> <p>The book made me sad for the amputated lives of urban trees though. They can't communicate, mostly, and they all die young! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199#post-293937 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 15:51:53 +0000 Cyclingmollie 293937@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>You're lucky you've got trees in your main street at all. We have to make do with an artificial tree substitute pollution filter thing here in Musselburgh. </p> <p>The road through the Forest of Castle O'er is beautiful at this time of year when the larches are turning gold. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199#post-293936 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 14:53:21 +0000 PS 293936@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I'm usually delighted to see commercial forests felled. Cold lifeless monocultures. The industry paid some lip service to the idea of mixed species forestry a few years ago, but I've not seen any evidence of that being put into practice. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199#post-293933 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 13:56:28 +0000 i 293933@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@stevo yep, it does makes sense in this situation to value the trees for their civic value, from its aesthetics, drainage and even air pollution scrubbing (though I'm sceptical about this effectiveness compared to removing the source of pollution). </p> <p>The <a href="http://leaf.leeds.ac.uk/project/i-tree-leeds-putting-a-value-on-the-citys-trees/">Leeds iTree project</a> looks interesting. 800 trees removed 11 tonnes of C02 and 250kg of pollutants per year. The average UK car seems to produce about 1-4 tonnes of CO2, but I'm not sure how much other pollutants are produced, let alone the buses. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199#post-293928 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 13:29:09 +0000 jdanielp 293928@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@steveo somebody made the argument at the Scottish Green Party Conference at the weekend that tree thinning leads to far greater output over a comparable time period than mass felling, while leaving the landscape looking nicer. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199#post-293926 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 13:04:38 +0000 steveo 293926@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Sorry for getting philosophical, I want to try and find some perspective in the context of the entire planet.</em></p> <p>I read a study which suggest urban are trees have a far higher positive impact on the mental health of individuals than rural forests. So from a mental health pov the removal of a few dozen trees will have a far greater impact than the clearing for the QC. </p> <p>I'm always torn on commercial forests being clear fallen, there is a certain interest in the decimated landscape left behind, probably more so than the dull (and swampy) areas off the paths. But the initial hit after coming round corner and finding nowt but stumps is a bit jarring. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199#post-293924 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 12:47:00 +0000 I were right about that saddle 293924@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I can exclusively reveal that the NGS is an introverted organisation. It does not look outwith its walls very often or very hard. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199#post-293922 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 12:20:25 +0000 mgj 293922@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I wonder if they consulted with the International Brigade (and the Spanish?) about the removal (and then reinstatement) of the memorial. (Actually given that the NGS didnt even know it was there, I'd be surprised). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199#post-293921 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 12:13:09 +0000 I were right about that saddle 293921@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The ability of land plants to hold CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; is miniscule compared to that of sea plants and the effects of commercial forestry dwarf this felling every minute of the day.</p> <p>I think the point here is amenity and agency. We liked the trees and had no power to save them. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199#post-293920 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 11:54:32 +0000 i 293920@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The tree felling in Princes St may have been overzealous and mature trees might absorb more C02 than new trees (I don't know). And yes it looks quite ugly right now.</p> <p>I'm interested in why some trees seem more valuable than others. Compare the thousands of mature trees felled for the Queensferry crossing, was there a proportional outrage there? Are sufficient trees being replaced?</p> <p>Sorry for getting philosophical, I want to try and find some perspective in the context of the entire planet. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199#post-293919 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 11:44:56 +0000 paulmilne 293919@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I think in this day and age of climate breakdown and rising CO2 levels, a mature tree trumps a view. Every time.</p> <p>I'd go so far as to call for a moratorium on felling trees over a certain age unless an undeniable case can be made for removal. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199#post-293916 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 11:34:51 +0000 i 293916@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>While I don't know enough about this situation to have an strong opinion on it, it does remind me of how a reluctance to remove trees or tarmac over "natural" paths can cause more problems than it solves. </p> <p><a href="http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2011/06/false-green-excuses-not-to-build-cycle.html">On tree removal.</a></p> <p><a href="https://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/natural-character/">On "natural character".</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199#post-293870 Sat, 20 Oct 2018 20:08:21 +0000 gembo 293870@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Play fair steps still well closed without explanation </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19199#post-293869 Sat, 20 Oct 2018 19:16:31 +0000 LaidBack 293869@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I'm sure Playfair would have not been pleased by the gardens having a railway running through them. </p> <p>Resistance to the pollution and noise caused by railways meant that trains got no further than Haymarket for years.</p> <p>Sometimes this still happens :-) </p>