Image of the week - Terrific trees
London is in love with trees this week. From 11th to 18th May you can learn to identify trees, hear woodland birdsong, survey tree health, walk in the woods and take part in many other tree related events. It is the GLA's London Tree Week, a series of events and activities to celebrate the capital's trees and woodland.
East London's Whitechapel Gallery also has a sylvan focus. Guiseppe Penone's stunning Spazio di luce (Space for light) installation is a 12 metre bronze cast of a tree reclining on the gallery floor, its hollow centre painted with gold leaf. This week and on into June the gallery are hosting tree related events, including an urban ecology walk and tree art workshops.
Here at GiGL, we also recognise the ongoing importance of trees and woodland to London's ecology and people. We work with a number of tree focused partners, including the Forestry Commission. The habitat and species data we manage includes many records of tree species, woodland and orchards. We are also building up a shared dataset of street tree and park tree information supplied by, and for, London Boroughs and major land owners. Read some more about our work on tree datasets in an article from early last year here.