Shock Haringey Plan to end the lives of the terminally diseased

[Adrian Essex]

OpinioN8 has received the following email from Haringey's arboricultural department:

"Planned tree maintenance works will be carried out over the next 6 to 8 weeks in the following roads: Hornsey Park Road, Bourne Road, Cecile Park, Coleridge Road, Dickenson Road, Drylands Road, Edison Road, Elder Grove, Fairfield Gardens, Fairfield Road, Gladwell Road, Haringey Park, Hatherley Gardens, Ivy Gardens, Landrock Road, Tregaron Avenue, Turnpike Lane and Womersley Road.

 A total of 167 trees will be subject to works. 31 will be removed due to their poor condition.

 Replacement trees will be planted during the next 18 months.

 I would be grateful if someone could advise me if there is a Residents Association for this area, and forward me their contact details, so I can also notify them too.

 Please contact me, if you have any further queries

 Kind regards

The contact is [e-mail] who has asked to be put in touch with local Residents Associations.

[Adrian Essex]

I have seen several notices attached to local trees recently in these streets. There is one on a cherry (?) outside 9 Fairfield Road saying that it will be removed and subsequently replaced. Outwardly there is little sign of a problem. But I have in the past seen utterly superb reports on trees in Alexandra Palace an example of which is attached. These contain ultrasonic scans of the interior, which in the attachment shows that the tree in question at the time really was very sick. I have emailed the arboricultural officer asking if there are more detailed reports to be had. I will let you know of the response.

This image is taken from the pdf - blue indicates decay

[Adrian Essex]

About a fortnight ago I had thos email from one of our councillors. 

 

Hi All

 

 

I organised the walkabout last Friday with a couple of tree officers from Haringey. we went out with Edward Milner - a real expert on the subject.

 

We walked along Drylands, Landrock and Bourne Roads and Edward offered challenges to trees designated to be taken out. In nearly all cases, officers were able to give rhyme and reason why they had to go, mostly because of fungal diseases that can be seen on the  outside, towards the base, as "ledges" of fungus. This indicates that there will be rot on the inside. One of the determining factors for removal will be the ratio between the size of the canopy and the diameter of the trunk: the bigger the "sail" area of the canopy the more pressure it will exert on the trunk when the wind blows - if it is diseased it is more likely to come down in a storm.

 

So, while this is not a problem in parks and open spaces, it is a serious risk on streets with people, cars and motorcycles. Haringey's approach, with limited funds, is clearly one of risk management.

 

However, the maintenance cycle is over four years: bundles of wards are inspected, tress are pollarded, pruned or removed and replacement ones are planted. Edward made the point that this is too a long a period and we get a disproportionate number of very young tress on our streets. Further, because a typical tree "haircut" has to last for four years, it can be pretty radical and not very attractive visually. The Officers didn't deny this but, like so many other council services, they don't have the money to achieve the Kew Gardens look.

 

Haringey are starting the process to revise their tree strategy and I am going to ask that The Haringey Tree Trust are involved in writing it at the earliest opportunity.

 

I have copied Edward into this email and hope that I have given an accurate account of all the things that we discussed.

 

 

regards

 

 

 

David