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It's the start of the time of year when trees burst into bud and leaf, when wildlife begin their rituals based on spring. And it's also the time of year that the tree butchers start to destroy all of the above. Keep an eye out for the butchery, challenge them, contact Councillors with concerns.

Any update on the butcher contract J.Barber? If contract in-house now, what is name of the manager?

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https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/42939-tree-butchers-warning/
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It's very easy to speak with Adolfo Gonzalez, the Arboricultural Officer at Southwark. He's an extremely qualified tree specialist. It's very easy to assume a tree is healthy, because it looks healthy. There are many reasons why trees have to be treated.


When I enquired about trees local to me, and work being done on them, he was happy to walk me round every single tree and explain the work and what needed doing and why. One tree even had a huge hole in the base of it's trunk, but only an ultrasound could show the extent of it. He was happy to show the scans from various measuring devices they use to survey what's going on inside a tree (unseen to the naked eye). He also pointed out where damage was indeed the result of poor management of tress in the past by his predacessors, and explained what he intended to do to correct that. So get in touch with him if you are concerned. Like me, you may learn a whole range of things about trees that you didn't know before.


He also made me aware that I could apply to the Cleaner Greener Safer scheme for funds to replace lost trees. A tree costs around ?800 and that includes maintenance for the first three year from the supplier of the tree. There really is no conspiracy to unecessarily butcher trees.

I know what you mean as there was going to be a mass cull on a lot of the trees in PR park a few months back and many of those were questionable...


But I have seen a few big ones come down in storms that are like balsa wood a few inches below the bark. Just cause it looks healthy doesn't mean it is.

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