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The Trees and Design Action Group (TDAG), brings together individuals, professionals, academics and organisations from wide ranging disciplines in both the public and private sectors to improve knowledge and good practice to support the role of urban trees through better collaboration in the planning, design, construction and management and maintenance of our urban places.
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NewsTDAG Newsletter – January 2026
This includes TDAG events and activities; events organised by others and an extensive list of new publications and research. We would like to encourage more research dissemination and so are introducing a ‘Research Round-up – Implications for practitioners’ inviting researchers to tell us about their completed projects and why they are relevant for practitioners working with trees. Please submit a short outline here. 
Trees, People and the Built Environment 6
This will take place in June 2027, but we need to start planning now. Co-design is high on our agenda to develop an event that is informative across the trees and built environment professions and so we are starting with this short survey.
Tree success stories
11th February, 2-4pm GMT – online. Registration. Designing with trees – Part 1: above ground ambitions 11th March, 2-4pm GMT – online Designing with trees – Part 2: below ground challenges 22nd April, 2-4pm BST – online Urban trees – biodiversity value, climate resilience and canopy cover – what we need to know 13th May, 11.30-12.15 BST In person at Futurebuild + UK Construction Week, ExCel, London Integrating Trees and Buildings – they don’t have to be in conflict! 14th May, 13.30-14.15 BST In person at Futurebuild + UK Construction Week, ExCel, London Climate risk and the benefits of urban trees 10th June, 2-4pm BST – online Trees in hot summers: what they do for us and what we need to do for them 15th July, 2-4pm BST – online Tree protection in plain English 23rd September, 2-4pm BST – online Trees and Planning – an update 21st October, 2-4pm BST – online Growing a resilient research base for urban trees – the Second TDAG / Mersey Forest Ideas Lab Early Career Research Prize 18th November, 2-4pm GMT – online Trees in the townscape 2035 – what will it look like? 9th December, 2-4pm GMT – online
Congratulations to the winner and runners-up of the first TDAG/Mersey Forest Ideas Lab Early Career Research Prize
We received a number of very interesting urban tree research projects from early career researchers from which 6 were shortlisted to present at the TDAG seminar on 4th November. The audience voted for the winner and two runners-up and we are pleased to announce the results: – The prize winner was Elle Smith from the University of Leeds for her work on The role of private garden trees and woodland cover for 3-30-300 success in seven English cities – In second place was Will Leaning from the University of Sheffield for his work on Predicting the impacts of climate change on urban green populations and urban forest strategies – In third place was Isabella Bhoan of WW+ P Architects for her work on Learning the Land Digitally – LIM. Our congratulations to the winner and runners-up, but our thanks and appreciation to all the presenters for a superb insight into the work they are all doing. You can see all six research presentations and a recording of the event, including the keynote talk by Professor Cecil Konijnendik in Past Events.
The urgent need for urban trees
Sue James, Convenor of the Trees and Design Action Group in a wide ranging conversation with Vanessa Champion, Editor of the Journal of Biophilic Design.
Information filled TDAG stand at Futurebuild
The full Futurebuild 2025 knowledge programme recordings are now available without charge to watch here.
This is published alongside an update of Section One and outlines how such a strategy can be developed for local authorities and for all owners of trees and woodlands.
Accompanying this, Appendix: Urban forest sustainability performance Indicators for the UK is an aid to monitory progress once a strategic plan has been agreed. Briefing Note 01: Legislation, policy and guidance on trees and development throughout the UK adds further support. With the evidence-based understanding that urban trees can delivery multiple social, environmental and economic benefits particularly in the context of our two critical challenges of climate change and biodiversity decline, ensuring that existing urban trees are retained and that new trees are a requirement for all new developments, TDAG is calling for all local authorities to have adopted tree strategies. Available from Our Guides. |
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Sue James [email protected] Seminars Emma Ferranti [email protected] Follow us BlueSky Please note: TDAG does not have the resources to comment on individual tree cases or other local issues. | ||||||||||||||||||||
