South-East England Urban Trees Dying in Record Heat — SkimNews
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- Kevin Martin, head of tree curation at Kew Gardens, estimates at least 400 trees died this summer, matching the 2022 record, with common beech nearly wiped out in the collection.
- Trees for Cities reports half of the young saplings it planted in London over the past year perished this summer, against a normal 80–90% survival rate.
- Research published by Kew's team in November 2025 forecasts that 73% of London's public trees will die or struggle to thrive under high-emissions climate conditions projected for 2090, with just 0.38% of current stock deemed highly suitable.
- London's trees cool the city by up to 5°C according to Friends of the Earth, making canopy loss a direct public-health threat beyond aesthetics.
- Kew Gardens is collecting seeds from the Eurasian steppe to trial drought-tolerant lime, hornbeam and beech, while Trees for Cities shifts its mix toward ginkgo and the European nettle tree.
- Treeconomics' Kenton Rogers warns capital funding exists to buy trees but not to maintain them through their vulnerable early years, arguing for fewer plantings with stronger aftercare.
Why it matters: If Kew's 2090 forecast holds, Mayor Sadiq Khan's canopy-expansion target is mathematically near-impossible without a staggered replanting programme using steppe-origin species — and London would simultaneously lose up to 5°C of urban cooling just as heatwaves intensify.
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