Alastair, I acknowledge your point for many trees, but what about these off Trafalgar Sq. No porous / areas for organic matter to be added to the soil, surfaces anywhere for these London Planes?
These two rows of trees were the condition of the right hand row. The left hand trees were aerated with a Vogt Soil Probe and had soil ameliorates added. Healthy soil leads to healthy trees (if watered when needed).