London Public Realm Tree Map – Dataset Overview
The dataset is used on the London Public Realm Tree Map.
This dataset includes locations, species, and future climate suitability information for almost 1,140,000 public realm trees in London. For some trees, additional details such as size and age are also provided.
The dataset primarily covers street trees and trees in parks and open spaces, but also includes some trees located in school grounds and on publicly maintained housing land.
Please note: This dataset does not represent the entirety of London’s urban forest. The
London i-Tree
report estimated that there are over eight million trees across the capital, including those in woodlands, parks, streets, private gardens, and more.
Data Sources
Tree inventory data collated by GiGL from all 32 London boroughs, the City of London, Transport for London, the Royal Parks, the London Legacy Development Corporation (Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park), and Quintain (Wembley Park). For three boroughs, location data could not be provided for some or all tree records.
Future Climate Suitability of London’s Public Realm Trees
report, which assesses London’s most common public realm tree species against climate conditions anticipated for 2090. This assessment is captured in a composite 2090 climate suitability score, included in this dataset.
Context
As recognised in the
London Urban Forest Plan (LUFP)
, collating data about London’s urban forest is challenging due to the number of landowners and managers involved, as well as limited resources. Both the original LUFP and the 2025 update committed to:
Regular updates to this map.
Progress toward a London-wide inventory of publicly owned and managed trees, aligned with emerging national standards.
Providing information on the climate resilience of London’s public trees.
This dataset is a significant step toward meeting these ambitions.
Notes on the Data
Map history:
First published in 2016 (data compiled in 2014–15).
Updated in 2021 (data compiled in 2019–20).
Updated in May 2025 (data compiled in 2024–25). Where boroughs did not provide updated data in 2024–25, previous data has been retained (e.g., Bromley).
Dec 2025 update - new features:
Incorporates 2090 climate suitability scores and tree location types for the first time.
Complete redesign of the map interface for improved filtering, viewing, and interpretation.
Data limitations:
Records are direct extracts from borough inventories; some may be several years old.
Location data is missing for some records, creating gaps on the map.
Large gaps also occur in areas such as woodlands, reservoirs, airports, or where borough data is incomplete.
Data varies significantly by borough (e.g., some include only highway trees; others include housing land, schools, or parks).
No consistent format for tree data collection across London; standardisation is ongoing.
Species names have been standardised using the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew’s Plants of the World Online taxonomy for simplified filtering (e.g., “Pear”).
Tree ID numbers have been added for mapping purposes only; they are not linked to borough management systems.
Tree Location Type (e.g., street tree, park tree, housing land tree, other) was developed by GiGL and the GLA to support filtering and analysis.
Street trees: Assigned using Ordnance Survey MasterMap Topography where the descriptive group contains “Road.”
Park trees: Identified using Open Space PPG17 and Primary Use categories in GiGL’s Open Space Dataset, with a 10-metre buffer applied.
Housing land trees: Manually assigned by GiGL based on departmental ownership.
Note: Tree location type does not indicate management arrangements for individual boroughs or other tree owners.
Climate Suitability: For more details on the 2090 Climate Suitability score, please refer to the
Future Climate Suitability of London’s Public Realm Trees
report
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