20100915 Cutting down of mature elder-tree in the Wild Life Area

Really a bad day.

A crew of contractors from the Park department showed up unannounced and cut down one of the mature elder-tree from the Wild Life Area.

Was alerted by a panic call from Elizabeth and I went there but there was nothing anyone could do. The damage was already done.

Few of us were there and protested. The contractors were on the edge but the tree was gone.

Totally unwarranted, one of the few old tree of the park left alone the Wild Life Area. Everybody were really angry. Through the Friends of Surrey Square Park we talked and talked to all and sundry and yet they , the Park authority, pull stunts like this.

It reminded of when the hedge adjacent to the kick-about was shaven to shreds, including the plants we put there from the London Wildlife Trust again without warnings. At least at the time it turned out that the damage was done by a different Council Department that was not aware the that was part of the Park!!

This was was done by the Park people themselves.

Eventually we found out that the excuse was that the tree overhung on Albridge Street!!

So instead of trimming it they cut it down!?!

As one can see there was some overhanging but the tree was positioned backward respect to the actual street. Considering that Albridge is a cul-de-sac, the Council lame excuse that "there have been complaints" is really ridiculous.

The contractors insisted that the tree trunk was dangerously inclined and, looking from the side it is visible that the canopy had grown away from the playground fence, in the back of the WLA.

But again when one look at the actual trunk it was't at all inclined to any great extent. Let alone to a degree that would have made the tree a danger.

All that remained was the stump. testimonial of the tree considerable age:

The street did not look the same:

Before:

and after:

Still the tree stump at least is there and with luck it will grow back again. Elder-trees (Sambusus nigra) are famous for that.

After all the near-by hedge was more or less destroyed but still a little love and care (actually quite a lot!) from Julian and few wild flowers seeds produced a little moment of happiness:

(Papaver rhoeas)