Lambeth’s arboretum

Ruskin Park has more than 870 trees and has been described as “Lambeth’s arboretum”.

Ruskin Tree Walk

The Camberwell Society has commissioned a collection of essays by experts in John Ruskin on his philosophies on nature, built around a circular tour of Ruskin Park. Find out more here.

Tree Trail and Map

A few years ago a group of volunteers identified all the trees in Ruskin Park, to raise awareness of the wonderful trees in the park and ensure they are better managed and protected.

A Tree Trail highlights some of the less common trees in Ruskin Park.

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Tree management

Lambeth now manages its trees in-house with a bigger expert team than in previous years, so there is better planning and support.

We all agree that the trees in the park are important; when trees are lost in the park we want to replace them. However, new trees can never be the same so a gradual change to the landscape is sadly inevitable. Unfortunately many of our large trees are vulnerable because of their age and the increasing number of diseases attacking the species. They are also more susceptible to damage in high winds.

The council has a programme in place to assess and monitor the health of vulnerable trees. The aim is that trees should provide amenity and environmental benefits for as long as safely possible. Note that when a tree is terminally diseased or structurally unsound, it may be felled even if it appears to be alive. However, trees are only felled as a last resort – for safety reasons – and where possible other measures such as crown reduction are preferred. Unfortunately it’s not always possible to accurately predict when a tree, or big branches, will fall.

When trees are felled, big trunks and logs are left for climbing on and to increase biodiversity, when this is practical. Other ideas for recycling wood within the park can be considered with us at the Friends of Ruskin Park.