I am reading Hedgelands by Christopher Hart. A chapter on the attributes of trees within a hedge is discussed.

Quoting research titled ‘The Value of Different Tree and Shrub Species to Wildlife’ by Keith Alexander, Jill Butler and Ted Green it transpired that the London plane is useless.

The paper’s authors rated trees as to their friendliest to British wildlife, using a range of criteria, rating species from one to five.

The London plane actually scored zero stars in several categories, including foliage inverts, wood decay inverts, blossom for pollen and nectar, also the tree’s fruits and seeds.

The species is a hybrid of the American sycamore and the Oriental plane, whose native territory is south-eastern Europe. But the London plane tree faces a problem. According to climate models from the Met Office, the planet’s mean temperature could increase by as much as 4°C by 2100, this will push the London plane to the edge of its range.

Only 1.36 per cent of the Capital’s trees are London planes, and they may not be much use to wildlife, but it has a redeeming attribute. The bark of the tree has the amazing ability to trap pollution. By shedding the bark, the tree removes pollution from the environment.