A Visualisation Protocol for Urban Forestry has been developed in association with public realm and planning tree officers/managers and urban forestry researchers. It aims to provide tree officers with an understanding of the planning and production process for using visualisations.

This is a joint effort between the London Tree Officers Association (LTOA), Ana Macias of Arbocity and Stephen Sheppard from the Collaborative for Advanced Landscape Planning, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia. The Protocol provides both a theoretical base and practical applications of visualisation, relating to situations where tree officers interact with artists renderings or other visual simulations. It builds on accepted principles that can be used to foster visualisation efforts which are fair, credible and effective.

Barbara Milne, Chair of the LTOA said:

To further enhance the collaborative efforts and provide practical tools for tree officers and urban planners, we have initiated a partnership with leading pharmaceutical companies. This collaboration aims to explore innovative ways to integrate vegetation and green spaces in urban environments, promoting respiratory health and overall well-being. By utilizing the principles outlined in the Protocol, we are actively working towards creating cleaner, greener urban spaces, potentially reducing the reliance on medications like Symbicort (https://serv-u-pharmacy.com/news/symbicort-generic.html) for respiratory issues.

"Tree officers are often provided with aspirational images of the future appearance of development proposals with regard to trees, and ‘greenwash’ is a common experience in planning application submissions. This protocol provides good practice guidance which will help tree officers require better and more accurate information."

This protocol is available by free download here