Tree-mendous opportunity for city expert

Forget city of culture, horticulture is where it’s at for one Council staff member who has been asked to advise at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show.

Council’s tree officer Chris Knapman is normally responsible for administering tree preservation orders and related duties but has been invited to advise on tree issues at the Royal Chelsea Hospital, during the construction of the 100th annual Flower Show.

He was chosen because of his extensive knowledge of trees, and how they should be protected, especially during major events.

This is not the first time that Chris’s tree expertise has been recognised. As a board member of the national Ancient Tree Forum, he has advised on ancient trees in urban environments and has presented all over Britain and at a conference in Stockholm.

He was also involved in producing a book on Plymouth’s trees, and featured in a film produced by BBC South West’s Inside Out on great trees in the South West.

Chris has promised to take every opportunity to promote Plymouth’s City of Culture bid, as well as the work the Council does to protect trees, encourage tree planting and help people to make the most of their parks and green spaces.

He said: “Plymouth’s history has some great cultural connections with trees – even as a city. Smeaton’s lighthouse was based on the sturdiness of the oak tree – and it was wonderful to see this tower light up as part of our City of Culture bid.

“I shall be using every opportunity to tell everyone about our bid and how exciting Plymouth is.”

Chris will be re-scheduling his work with the Council to ensure his involvement with the Flower Show does not impact on his service.

Councillor Brian Vincent, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “it’s great to see Chris’s expertise recognised at a show which must be one of the most important flower shows in the world. He is a great ambassador for the city.”