In Southgate Green Conservation Area, the past year has seen more than 40 tonnes of trees and greenery removed, excluding works to the Minchenden Oak. Much of these works took place on privately owned lands but current legislation allows removal of trees without any replacement conditions and this means that the visual amenity of this area is under threat.
SGA is studying how CAVAT- a system of valuing the amenity value for trees can help us inform members about tree issues to preserve and protect the greenscape.
Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees (CAVAT) – Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees (CAVAT) was written by Chris Neilan for the London tree officer’s association. www.ltoa.org.uk/resources/cavat CAVAT provides a method for managing trees as public assets rather than liabilities. It is designed not only to be a strategic tool and aid to decision-making in relation to the tree stock as a whole, but also to be applicable to individual cases, where the value of a single tree needs to be expressed in monetary terms.