According to Harrow Council’s Arboricultural asset officer (who keeps track of the borough’s trees) we have over 400 in our park: some common and instantly recognisable; some rare and less easy to identify; some native to the British Isles; and some exotic imports.

    Those of us who grew up in the UK or Europe can probably recognise some of our most common trees, such as the oak, horse chestnut, or silver birch.  But can we tell a beech from a hornbeam? Or identify those huge trees which line our streets and shed their bark regularly?  On the other hand, if you have recently settled in Harrow from Africa, Hong Kong, or other far-off places, then even those most common trees may be unfamiliar to you.

    If you’ve ever admired a particular tree and wondered what it’s called, or wanted to know more about it, then Bill Stephenson, our “park champion”, has for many years been nursing an ambition to help you. Your HRUA committee loves a challenge, so we have launched our Tree Labelling & Awareness Project to realise that ambition, so that in the future you can identify trees in the Park and elsewhere.