tree vandalism in the park

[joseph holly]

Thanks for doing this, photosolo

I have just rung the tree dept. The lady I spoke to was unsure about details, but said she thought the meeting would take place in the park at some point tomorrow. If anyone finds out details, please could they post them here so that as many people as possible are aware?

[joseph holly]

pm sent to photosolo

[Renata Hamvas]

Hello all,

I have been passing all the comments from here, your pms and emails to me. All tree removal in the park has been suspended. Officers will be meeting with the Friends of Peckham Rye Park next week and they will be walking around the park and discussing each of the trees that have been earmarked for removal with officers. Most of these are obviously dead or dying trees.

The cherry tree featured on this thread is infected with white rot fungus. This causes the trunk to rot from within, so it ends up like a straw and is unstable. The felling of this tree is suspended and sonic tomography of it is to be carried out. This uses sound waves to get an image of the integrity of the inside of the trunk (tree equivalent of an ultrasound scan!). This will indicate whether the rot is at an extent where the tree has to be felled (because it is unstable and could come down in strong winds) or whether the tree could be cut back and hopefully would survive.

Re pollarding, trees that have been pollarded in the past need to be periodically repollarded as the growth from the trunk is not as strong as the original branches and liable to snap in heavy winds. These trees are often old and have been periodically pollarded for many years.

Renata

[Penguin68]

Renata

It is not the fact of the pollarding which is primarily at issue, I believe, but the timing. Most of us would accept that once trees are pollarded this needs to 'kept up' for the reasons you stated - but do do so in mid August (as I think happened in Barry Road) when the trees are in full leaf and at their most attractive seems unnecessary - either pollarding after leaf fall, or before leaf break, would not only be most suitable but also safest. Of course, that would mean the council has to sweep the autmunal leaf fall, but avoiding this cost by creating a tree wasteland in late summer does not appear to take any account of the amenity value of having trees in streets in the first place.

[photosolo]

Does anyone know if Gristwood & Toms are in charge of the surveying our trees as well as the felling ?

If so, isn't that a little like a doctor having shares in the local pharmacy..?

[tiddles]

I Understand that they are the consultants advising on the work to be done.

[DJKillaQueen]

They are completely butchering the trees on my estate as we speak. A beautiful tree canopy is being destroyed in the high of summer. One young tree has been completey shed of all of it's foliage and another completely pollarded back to nothing. They are now starting on tree three.

I sopke with the young guys doing the work. The told me they are just given instructions and they follow them. The largest tree is to be cut back by 30% !!!! They also agreed this is not the right time of year for pollarding.

I'm taking photos, have messaged Renata Hamvas and the TRA will be demanding an explanation. Imo...it seems to me as though southwark's contractors are creating work for themselves rather than doing only the work that is necessary.

[hpsaucey]

Oh no What happened? I usually walk past there after the school run but we went on the other side of the road today.

Feel like forming a human chain round them or is it too late?

[DJKillaQueen]

I had an email yesterday afternoon from southwark's Arboricultural Officer saying that pollarding was suspended until he meets with our TRA to explain why they pollard (in the middle of summer????). But work began again this morning at 8.45 (before giving any chance to arrange a meeting) and they are cutting ALL the foliage off the tree they are working on (an ash). They have a ladder against a beautiful horse chestnut which I'm told they have been instructed to reduce by 30%. How does a guy with a chainsaw know what 30% of a tree is when he's up there cutting it anyway?

The Royal Horticultural Society, and I think we can safely say they know a thing or two about trees, clearly say that this is NOT the best time of year for pollarding.

[david_carnell]

A large number of white/silver birch trees on Nutbrook Street in SE15 are all labelled for works. Again, this is a crazy time of year to be doing this when the tree is in full foliage. If nothing else, they provide shade along the pavement for young and old alike from the heat of the sun.

Could one of the cllrs please check whether these works are really necessary now? As part of the redevelopment area in and around Bellenden I would have thought encouraging a greener urban environment would be a priority.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi DJKillaQueen,

I did contact officers yesterday, I have had a response that they are looking into it, but no actual reason yet. I shall ask about Nutbrook Street, David. I know that there have been some works going on to prune back branches obscuring street lights, so this may be what's happening.

Renata

[DJKillaQueen]

Definitely get a local councillor to ask questions David. If a councillor raises an enquiry, the council have to address it and report back to the councillor.

I've just met briefly with Southwarks Arboricultural Officer. He's now on sight and will do a walkabout with myself and other TRA reps tomorrow to explain all the work (and by that, an explanation for every tree that is to be worked on). He told me that they only pollard at this time of year if there is a necessary reason for doing so, like health and safety, subsistence isssues, or disease etc. I think it's worth pressing for clear parametres on what those reasons are, and challenging them if there's no imminent or reasonably clear danger. I get the impression that the amount of water trees consume is resulting in over cautious worries about subsidence. I could be wrong on that of course. Trees sizes do need to be controlled. The issue is how best to manage that without hacking away all of the foliage in mid-summer!

We have a large chestnut...yeaterday it was earmarked for 30% reduction (the reason is because the trunk is a V trunk from the base and he's concerned that the weight of the tree will cause it to split), but he's now reduced that to 20% and is there to supervise and make sure the work to it is correct, with considerations for shape and cover etc. That's important because work to large trees that's unsupervised by the experts that earmark them is perhaps one problem. The pollarding is suspended until we have carried out the walkabout.

Just want to say also, that the work started yesterday morning. 24 hours later and the TRA have a meeting with the guy making the decisions and councillor Renata Hamvas has been integral to that. So a big thank you to her.

[DJKillaQueen]

Crossed post with you Renata, but as you can see from that post there is some progress. I'll let you know after the walkabout tm how things go.

[edhistory]

> Southwarks Arboricultural Officer

What qualifications were required for this appointment?

John K

[Brian Tee]

As a local park user I don't really have a problem with the removal of many of the trees that were sentenced to death by this recent 'cull'. Many of them are very old, leaning in what appears to be dangerous ways, and I would have to say that, if they were in my own garden, I would probably get shot of them.

I'm pretty certain, following the massive plantation that came with the Peckham Rye Park Lottery Funding a decade or so ago, and the more recent planting of many young trees around the park, that the idea of 'sustainability' is most likely the one that dominates here among the decision makers.

Always sad to see old trees being removed, but at the end of the day, they simply make way for the younger crop.

[UncleBen]

Uninformed tosh