Palette is live - climate-resilient species selection tool powered by science.

Innovative tree species selection platform, backed by the science of Kew Botanic Gardens, launches to equip planners, designers and architects with climate change resilient and future-proofed choices.

Kew Reach today launches Palette, its world-first tree species selection platform, backed by the science of Royal Botanic Kew Gardens. Palette enables planners, designers and architects to simply and efficiently pull together a climate change resilient and future-proofed species selection, based specifically on location.

Selecting a planting site’s location and the specific parameters of the project (such as a focus on biodiversity, flood or drought, city streets etc.) results in the user creating a ‘Palette’ of tree species, each ranked according to their suitability for the outcomes set.

Every tree species is given a score for drought tolerance, ecosystem services and biosecurity risk, allowing users to mix and match species to achieve the specific requirements of that project.

Mark Chadwick, CEO of Kew Reach said: ‘Palette was born out of a desire to simplify planting decisions. It is clear that we urgently need to consider the climate resilience and biodiversity of every tree planted across the UK, knowing the value trees bring as nature-based solutions to compounding hotter summers. Especially in cities, trees play a vital role in helping address rising temperatures and encouraging biodiversity. Palette is unique in taking the science of Kew Gardens and offering a really simple tool to make these planting decisions. It will be a game-changer for planners, architects and designers as well as council tree officers and we are thrilled it is now live for use, for all.’    

Palette includes a range of features for different users, spanning boutique landscape studios, through to architects, engineering firms and consultants all supporting clients with their planning and planting. Users can share iterations on the Palette’s they have created with clients via link or PDF, branded as required, and allow client comments within the tool.

Palette also ensures a full audit log of edits, approvals and external shares, vital when working with clients and particularly when there are regulatory factors such as Biodiversity Net Gain.

The launch of Palette includes analysis into tree species relevance for specific sites. This is only the first phase of a much larger ambition for the platform. The pollinator species selection tool will be added the capability next, with SuDs species selection and UKHab compatibility all in the pipeline.

Kew Reach was founded to respond to the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, created as a science-driven partnership between the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Greensphere Capital's Gaia Sciences Innovation platform. By applying the best-in-class knowledge of more than 500 Kew scientists and a global network of specialists to nature restoration projects of every size, Kew Reach turns internationally renowned science into real-world restoration, restoring damaged landscapes, support community wellbeing and help institutions meet their environmental goals.