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Councils accused of trying to 'reinvent the tree' by installing £16k machines to remove carbon dioxide from the air

An example of a
An example of a

Councils have been accused of "trying to reinvent the tree" by installing £17,000 machines to suck carbon dioxide out of the air.

The "Citytree", invented in 2014, has been hailed as an eco-friendly way to improve the air quality in urban spaces. The solar-powered units are covered in moss, and contain a Wi-Fi beacon, a rainwater-collection unit, as well as a nutrient tank and irrigation system.

It also contains sensors that gather data from the plants and its surroundings.

After one "tree" was erected in Glasgow in 2017, and a trial in London for some months last year, Cambridgeshire County Council is planning to purchase some for roadsides and town centres.

A document by the Conservative-controlled council reads: "Improving our green infrastructure, as well as cleaning the air, will positively impact Cambridgeshire residents’ and visitors’ general mental health and wellbeing and will promote Cambridgeshire as a place to live and invest.

"A single ‘tree’ is able to absorb 250 grams of particulate matter a day and remove 240 metric tons of CO2 each year, a level roughly on par with the air purification impact of 275 urban trees.

"Trees can be located in pollution hotspots and moved if necessary; they are particularly useful if deployed during roadwork delays when idling traffic and consequent pollutants can be at their worst. Trees can also carry sponsorship meaning they can be self funding, or even revenue generating."

The Woodland Trust has hit back at these plans, arguing that real trees are better for the environment.

Joseph Coles, their Urban Programme Lead, said: "It's a pet hate of mine that we think we need to have to develop something that's already been invented. Millions of years of 'development' have gone into designing and it does its job incredibly well."

He argued that reducing carbon dioxide is not the only benefits trees bring, adding: "A tree brings so many more benefits along with it, urban cooling, reducing air pollution, health and wellbeing, providing a habitat, flooding prevention. There are all sorts of benefits that trees bring."

There are also worries that councils could use this as a "quick fix" and stop planting trees in urban landscapes.

Mr Coles explained: "The risk is they could use this as an excuse not to plant more trees. At the moment with the climate crisis we are facing, the most sensible thing to do is plant trees

"City centres are where the people are so the benefits people get from trees are much more important in cities where we live and spend most of our lives."

Others were equally scathing. Architect and horticulturalist Ben Brace said: "These 'artificial' trees are void and greenwash. Let's just install some properly planned, integrated, long lived, large trees and make sure they are maintained appropriately. It's that simple and you get many more benefits across the board by doing so."

Sarah Jones-Morris, the chair of the South West Landscape Institute, added: "Er.... I can’t see how this ‘city tree’ provides shade to urban heat island effect, flood prevention, habitats for birds, insects etc. Living walls do have a place in cities but not like this."

Cambridgeshire County Council declined to comment.