20 C O N T E X T 1 1 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 9 IHBC Annual School 2009 IHBC Annual School 2009 IHBC Annual School 2009 Use assessment was ‘like a barometer – an indicator from which you then make a further judgement’. This is the key difference between BREEAM and BREEAM-In-Use. The former is a one-off assessment at the time of construction, whereas the latter is a continuous process of assessment – a bit like our annual performance appraisals at work. Edward Holland, Prince’s Regeneration Trust Climate change and designed landscapes Raoul Curtis-Machin My day job as historic environment manager for Cambridge includes trees as well as buildings; some years ago I was invited to a 200th birthday party for a tree. Now we have a worryingly increasing spread of brown trees where there should be green. Raoul Curtis-Machin of the NationalTrust had recently been to Cambridge and seen the ‘dramatic impact’ of leaf miner and phytopthora. Curtis-Machin, who led the workshop, noted that although the 2000 report Gardening in the Global Greenhouse (summary at http://www.nationaltrust. org.uk/main/w-gardening_global_greenhouse_ summary.pdf) painted a scary picture, its projections were woefully inadequate. The National Trust has commissioned a new report from the University of Sheffield to update the picture. The Met Office researchers had apparently been ‘terrified’ by the scale and pace of temperature change. Designed landscapes are not static, but are recognised for their character at a point in time. A thoughtprovoking exercise made us consider the range of potential climate change impacts on components of designed landscapes. These included parkland, deciduous woodlands and shelterbelts, wilderness and shrubberies, architectural features, and woodland rides and walks. Climate change is not as straightforward as temperature change, with drainage being a major factor. More deluges may mean less productive rainfall. Plants are under increasing stress, although trees may not register symptoms until two to three years after an event. There needs to be a medium in the ground able to absorb water and release it gradually. More complex systems may be better able to recover. Should we continue the Empire tradition of bringing in plants from overseas? If the rest of the globe is changing, will the UK be the main repository for monkey puzzles? More broadly, Curtis-Machin talked about the need to test possible solutions. These included bringing in plants suitable for use in fuel (such as wood chip), and issues of food security (the UK has only four weeks food supply). The workshop then focused on pests and diseases, including the challenges of dealing with phytopthora, which is analogous to dry rot in terms of ubiquity and nastiness. The main host of the disease is a rhododendron originally planted to provide pheasant cover.The NationalTrust is trying to contain its spread on the Dorset heaths by management. The disease is still present at Kedleston after a first outbreak 20 years ago, but not at Tatton Park, where the rhododendrons are tightly clipped. The National Trust’s approach to pest and disease management includes quarantining all ‘bought-in’ plants. Water butts are kept covered and filtered to prevent spores getting through. To prevent diseases spreading, the National Trust takes a ‘hospital’ approach, requiring washing when moving between zoned areas of gardens. Sometimes there are silver linings. After horrendous phytopthora at Arlington Court and Nostell Priory required major removals, the public reaction has been very positive: ‘now you can see the lakes again, and you can see the views’. Very old trees can be a particular problem; the answer may be to give them a ‘dignified death’. Reflecting on the workshop, I thought that although the National Trust has very specific issues to confront, in terms of maintaining the character of designed landscapes inherited from the past, these are relevant to all of us. Relationships between buildings and trees (whether or not deliberately planted) are vital to the present and future character of the historic environment. To what extent are current tree planting and management choices reflecting this, and/or the anticipated changes in climate conditions? John Preston, historic environment manager for Cambridge City Council Philip Carney outlines BRE’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM-In-Use). (Photo: Jonathan Taylor)
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