LONDON’S royal parks are to be planted with Mediterranean and tropical trees because they will be able to withstand the effects of climate change.

The parks, which have fine collections of native trees such as oak and beech, will increasingly be planted with species such as Spanish chestnut and ornamental plants from warmer climates that are better able to withstand long hot summers and dry soil.

A spokesman for the Royal Parks Agency said: “We will still plant native species such as oak when we can, but each location will be assessed. If it seems likely to become too dry or sunny then we will bring in new species.”

Native trees are already being killed by rising temperatures, according to experts — while trees from warmer climates, such as the olive, are starting to thrive.

The strategy will apply to the eight parks controlled by the agency including Hyde Park, Regent’s Park and Richmond Park. The decision follows recommendations from a working party set up to consider how the parks should deal with the gradual rise in temperatures expected over the next 100 years.

It will be many years before there is a significant visible impact, partly because trees take so long to mature and also because mature native species could survive the rising temperatures for several decades.

However, the most vulnerable species, such as beech, poplar, willow and English oak, are already seriously affected. Rising numbers of tree deaths in recent years have been attributed to the hotter weather and experts say that if average temperatures rise by 6C over the next century the problem will become far more serious.

One tree that will be planted in greater numbers in the royal parks is the ginkgo biloba, which comes from China and is the last survivor of a family of prehistoric trees. Hardy American oaks are also likely to be planted.

The agency has also decided to change many of its bedding plants, abandoning some that need copious amounts of water. The replacements are increasingly likely to be non-native exotics, with Australian gazanias and several silver-leaved shrubs introduced this year.

The agency’s decision to plant more exotic trees and flowers may upset some traditionalists, who say the parks are an important part of Britain’s heritage. Last week it insisted that the strategy was “a change of emphasis” rather than “a break with the past”.

“A unified tree strategy across all eight parks is being drawn up and our choice of new trees will now take account of the future climate as well as historical context, original landscape design and the location,” a spokesman said.

The working party found that climate change would bring different problems to each park. Richmond Park, for example, has many English oak trees, which are particularly vulnerable to hot dry summers.

Oaks will now only be planted in shadier and wetter locations, with the Spanish chestnut preferred in drier locations. There are also some native species, such as lime and the London plane, that can withstand hotter climates.

Greenwich Park, which is more “manicured”, presents specific problems because it is on two levels. The drier upper section is likely to be planted with exotic species at a faster rate than other parks.

The other parks controlled by the agency are Green Park, Kensington Gardens, Bushey Park and Brompton Cemetery.

Tony Kirkham, head of the arboretum at Kew Gardens, said climate change would affect many of the nation’s favourite tree collections.

“In Kew 50 years ago the main native species was beech but since 1976 they have been dying off from diseases resulting from heat stress,” he said. “If the warming continues we will lose birch and rowan too.

“We are already replacing several avenues of oaks and ash with exotic heat-resistant species such as red oak and sweet maple from America and Turkish hazel.”

Rising temperatures could also bring benefits. Kew, for example, is creating a grove of olive trees — a species that would once have been lucky to survive the English winter. Parts of southern England have seen vineyards springing up, leading to a renaissance of wine production.

The changes will also affect domestic gardens, especially in southeast England. The Royal Horticultural Society recently gave a warning that they could spell the end of the traditional herbaceous border and cottage garden and recommended that gardeners seek out new varieties better able cope with higher temperatures.

Patio polluters

Patio heaters, used by urbanites to warm themselves in al-fresco bistros and private gardens on cool evenings, have pushed Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions up by 380,000 tonnes a year, new government figures reveal.

Environmental lobby groups have accused those using the heaters of “gross irresponsibility” and compared their spread to the use of “Chelsea tractors” — four-wheel-drive vehicles — in cities.

Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat environment spokesman whose questioning led to the data’s publication, said it was “ludicrous” that people were trying to heat the open air. “It’s futile and cavalier. While you may warm your garden for a few hours, you are releasing carbon dioxide that will be heating the earth for years.”

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