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04-23-08, 10:11 PM
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National treasure: The most expensive tree in Britain is worth £750,000
This is the most expensive tree in Britain – worth more than three times the average price of a home.
The Victorian plane, which has a 1.8m (6ft) wide trunk and stands in Berkeley Square in the heart of Mayfair, is valued at £750,000.
It may seem like a lot of money but there are dozens of other trees worth more than £500,000 in London's richest boroughs, such as Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.
When all the street trees in the capital are added together they are worth about £6.4billion, according to the Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees system.
The new guide assesses a tree's worth by its size, health, historical significance and how many people live nearby to enjoy it.
Tree experts say it will end the 'chainsaw massacre' of trees blamed for subsidence in homes. In the past five years, London councils have chopped down nearly 40,000 street trees, some more than 100 years old.
But with the new system, the higher the value of a tree, the more proof insurers would need to show it has caused damage and have it felled.
Cavat, developed by the London Tree Officers Association, will be used across the capital later this year and go nationwide next year.
Andy Tipping, who chairs the association, said: 'People are still not understanding that subsidence is a problem with buildings, not trees.
'In many cases it's other reasons such as drains, poorly installed double-glazing or climate change.
'This is going to revolutionise the way in which subsidence claims are managed for the better of all – including householders, insuerers and local authorities.'
:icon_bunch:
The Roots (http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=144032&in_page_id=34)
National treasure: The most expensive tree in Britain is worth £750,000
This is the most expensive tree in Britain – worth more than three times the average price of a home.
The Victorian plane, which has a 1.8m (6ft) wide trunk and stands in Berkeley Square in the heart of Mayfair, is valued at £750,000.
It may seem like a lot of money but there are dozens of other trees worth more than £500,000 in London's richest boroughs, such as Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.
When all the street trees in the capital are added together they are worth about £6.4billion, according to the Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees system.
The new guide assesses a tree's worth by its size, health, historical significance and how many people live nearby to enjoy it.
Tree experts say it will end the 'chainsaw massacre' of trees blamed for subsidence in homes. In the past five years, London councils have chopped down nearly 40,000 street trees, some more than 100 years old.
But with the new system, the higher the value of a tree, the more proof insurers would need to show it has caused damage and have it felled.
Cavat, developed by the London Tree Officers Association, will be used across the capital later this year and go nationwide next year.
Andy Tipping, who chairs the association, said: 'People are still not understanding that subsidence is a problem with buildings, not trees.
'In many cases it's other reasons such as drains, poorly installed double-glazing or climate change.
'This is going to revolutionise the way in which subsidence claims are managed for the better of all – including householders, insuerers and local authorities.'
:icon_bunch:
The Roots (http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=144032&in_page_id=34)