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.