Two trees on Tyneham Road have been killed by vandals. They were young trees, placed in as part of the replanting programme, but will die after their trunks were severed close to the roots.

Quite what motivated the vandalism is a mystery. There have been some justified concerns about the size of some of the trees on the estate, but these were many years off falling into that category.

I contacted the council’s tree section who confirmed that the cut was so low there was no potential for the trees to survive but that the sites, outside 99 and 109 Tyneham Road, are scheduled for replacement in the winter planting season later this year.

Unfortunately there are no witnesses at present, although the council are preparing a letter for nearby households to see if anyone has any information. If you did see something, please contact the council or, if you wish, feel free to contact me to pass on the information.

I’m aware that the blog (and my online life in general) has taken something of a knock recently. I’m not above blaming little children for this; having another child has eaten into the time I spent on it. But what better way to get back into the swing of things with the death and decay of trees in the ward?

The council is about to remove 13 trees from various sites in the ward (detailed below). The Shaftesbury Park Estate certainly seems something of a tree graveyard, and two are being removed from close to my home (one of which I was quite fond of, having rescued it from being a misshapen young sapling).

All the sites will be replanted, but, unfortunately not until the next tree planting season – so they will remain empty for around a year.

The trees, and reasons, are:

  1. Outside 33-35 Amies Street – tree is 60% dead
  2. Outside 8 Ashbury Road – tree is 80% dead
  3. Ashley Cresent, opposite 20 Queenstown Road – tree has dead bark and root decaying fungus
  4. Outside 128 Dunston Road – three has dead back and root decaying fungus
  5. Outside 165 Elsley Road – tree is unstable and 60% dead
  6. Outside 189 Elsley Road – tree is 60% dead
  7. Outside 71-73 Eversleigh Road – tree is dead and has a heartwood decaying fungus
  8. Outside 48 Grayshott Road – tree is unstable and has root and trunk decaying fungus
  9. Outside 19 Holden Road – tree is 50% dead
  10. Outside 20-22 Kingsley Street – tree is dead
  11. Outside 2-4 Morrison Street – tree is dead
  12. Outside 39 Sabine Road – tree has extensive trunk decay
  13. Opposite 53 Sabine Road – tree is 60% dead

If you know of any other trees in the ward that need attention, or any empty tree bases that need filling, let me know.

I’ve had notification of a few more trees due for removal in the ward, so if you are near any of these trees, expect to see them disappearing soon.

Ashley Crescent – outside number 7 (prevention of damage to nearby wall)
Dunston Road – garden of 76-86 (tree growing against windows and removal needed to allow works, tree is also wild, rather than planted)

Trees do a lot to make our streets look greener and more pleasant, unfortunately, like all living things they don’t last forever and sometimes the council has to remove them.

Trees in the following eight locations in the ward will be removed shortly (with the reason for removal):

Brassey Square – opposite number 17 (root rotting fungus)
Elsley Road – outside 14 (tree is dead), outside 76 (extensive decay)
Eversleigh Road – outside 203 (tree is leaning into, and obstructing, the road)
Grayshott Road – outside 109 (tree is 60% dead)
Holden Street – outside 62 (root rotting fungus), outside 46 (dead sapling)
Sabine Road – outside 122 (root rotting fungus)
Town Hall Road – outside 1 (tree is 60% dead)

Where possible a replacement sapling will be planted in the next planing season – unfortunately that isn’t until November.