Many thanks to reader Pat for pointing this one out to me, I don’t know that much about trees, but thought they were usually pruned in the middle of winter. However this isn’t a pruning but more of a total defoliation, just at the moment with this heat wave we could do with more cool shady places not less.The picture (click on it and then click on it again to enlarge) says it all really, for some reason that I don’t know the run of modern shops and offices here is called The Argyle Centre.
As is so often the case with the council this is mostly about acting without any public information, if this drastic action was necessary for some reason, perhaps the trees are diseased, I just don’t know. What is abundantly clear is that a press release before the action, explaining to local people what is to be done and why, is all the difference between local government that people understand and that people see as good government taking people with them through hard times and the situation we have now, action without public information or consultation, viewed for the most part as bad government, arrogant and uninterested in the views and feelings of local people.
It is the government of Animal Farm, Brave New World, If and 1984, quite inappropriate and out of place in the twenty first century.
I agree with you this is stupid. I work in the Argyle Centre and we are all appalled by what is happening. I have sent pictures of the event happening and the aftermath to Kent Messenger and they are going to write about this supporting us.
ReplyDeleteWe are also running a petition to be presented to KCC
It is quite normal and appropriate to pollard trees in urban areas but this is normally carried out during their dormant period.
ReplyDeleteLooks drastic but I think it will be back and if its like my next door neighbours twice as big next year.They had a diseased one removed and a healthy one reduced last spring and it (the healthy one ) is back twice as big well as tall just not as fat.
ReplyDeletehttp://promotethanet.blogspot.com/2009/04/skywatch-friday.html
ReplyDeleteit was april last year
The RHS has a page on pollarding. Note sure if this link will work:
ReplyDeletehttp://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=156
Their example tree is a bit smaller :-)
Oddly enough, pollarding is also used to increase the life of older trees - as they often grow back more strongly than before, and it can give the trees a 'new lease of life'.
The main down side of pollarding appears to be the outrage that it causes in members of the public, who may have never come across this technique before :-)
Blimey, people talk about not wanting the council to waste money, and they say that they want press releases just about pollarding a tree or two... no wonder they can't win !!
ReplyDeleteThey do this in the part of leafy norf London where I have my pied-a-terre. The first time I saw it I was shocked, but the trees grow back very quickly and eventually look better for it.
ReplyDeleteNot sure this is the right time of year to do it, but basically nothing to worry about, I'd say.
What you do have to watch out for is trees being completely chopped down because some scuzzy, litigious property owner close by has complained to the council that their buildings insurance would be invalidated by having a large tree adjacent. This has happened a lot in London, but now councils there are, thankfully, resisting. I wonder if TDC has the bottle to do so as well?
This blog is fantastic; what you show us is very interesting and is really good written. It’s justgreat!!
ReplyDelete