Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Sit in at the Oak Trees in Queens Wood threatened by Axa insurance company #SaveQueensWoodOak
Things are developing quickly in Queens Wood after I posted yesterday on Nature Notes.
The tree surgeon came to the trees today but was unable to continue as there were too many people there. There is now a constant occupation and if you can take part they are more than happy to welcome more people (please wear masks).
It is the AXA insurance company who are bullying Haringey Council to fell the trees rather than pay to underpin the property. Campaigners are trying to get an independent assessor in before the trees are felled.
Alice writes on my post,
“The trees in Queens Wood mentioned above are being cut down today! There is a sit in protest happening all day today. More details on harmless_store's Instagram page or sign the petition here “
There is also a hashtag on Twitter #savequeenswoodoak
Please sign the petition and protest if you are able. Children are welcome. Contact organisers (not me, I’m the messenger) on Instagram for more information
Tags for Forum Posts: local nature news, nature notes, queen's wood oaks
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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UPDATE via Instagram, published 6 hrs ago by harmless_store
"No more action as of the time I left but that may change as the day goes on.We need volunteers from now until Friday evening. Slide through the pictures until you find the little map. Message me for a Google pin drop.
Wear masks!!
Keep signing and sharing the petition and please keep sharing these posts as you have been doing using the Instagram hashtag
So our amazing tree huggers camped out last night as we now know we need to occupy the area safely and peacefully until tomorrow early evening.
We are trying to delay proceedings and ultimately find an alternative solution that suits all, especially the ancient woodland and our hard working and underfunded haringeycouncil.This claim will come directly out of their parks and trees budget which is there to look after our beautiful spaces for londoners to enjoy for years to come, it's not there to stump up insurance costs or foot bills. That's what insurance companies are for isn't it?
We now know that axa are really keen on promoting their green policy and mission statement which is amazing. I'm sure once they look into this further and more urgently they will see that this goes against their stance on helping biodiversity and it will directly harm the council and ultimately all of our money.
We've been hearing lots of stories in the woods how other insurance companies have pulled up trees around people's houses and have ended up making problems leading on to insurance claims worth hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds. Not to mention the absolute misery caused to families dealing with these situations.
Please show your support of the trees by coming along for a woodland adventure with your kids and stand together with these amazing people who have given up their time to do what they can to save these trees."
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Permalink Reply by JJ B on
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In these days of every corporate entity 'going green'...is there no name and shame campaign being caried out against AXA's actions?
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Statement from Haringey Council reposted from original thread
We are aware of, and completely understand, some residents’ concern at the planned removal of four Oak trees in Queen’s Wood. A petition and a campaign has been launched, and lots of questions are being asked. In short, the trees have been identified for removal as part of a subsidence claim against the council on behalf of an insurer of a property in the area. If the council does not remove the trees, we will face costs of at least £270,000.
Here, we set out the background, and offer a statement from Cllr Kirsten Hearn, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Sustainability, who says:
I do not want these trees to be cut down.
This is not the first claim from this property. Further subsidence has occurred. Haringey Council has paid for underpinning works to the building to address subsidence. This has not been successful.
In this case, the council are left with two choices: to pay the insurance costs for further underpinning, at a cost we are told of at least £270,000, or cut down the four trees.
The council has a huge hole in its budget due to actions it has taken to protect residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows 10 years of austerity during which council budgets have been slashed.
We simply cannot afford to pay out £270,000 to the homeowner’s insurance company. I am truly sorry, but the trees have to go.
The facts:
Four Oak trees in Queen’s Wood have been identified for removal as part of a substantial subsidence claim by insurers of a property in the area. Given the diameter of the four trees’ stems, we believe them to be relatively young – an estimate of somewhere between 30 and 40 would be a fair assumption.
There had been a plan to remove a fifth, but council officers were able to save the tree, due to its maturity, greater ecological value and further distance away from the relevant property. The claimants’ solicitors have said that they will continue to monitor the property to establish whether removal of the four trees has stabilised the property. We have committed to replacing the four Oak trees this autumn.
The council reviews insurance claims of this nature extensively and engage external advisors and work with independent experts to investigate claims where appropriate. If we can take mitigating actions such as crown reduction, we do so, as we have done in this case (amongst other steps we have taken too, such as underpinning).
We face incurring costs of, at minimum, £270,000 if the trees are not removed now.
We have regularly updated all associated stakeholders, including the Friends of Queen’s Wood group, in the weeks and months leading up to the removal of these four Oak trees.
Haringey is committed to planting more trees – we expect to plant at least 800 by the end of the year – the last thing we want is to take any down. We have gone to great lengths to try and avoid this action.
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Response to this statement via Will
"We have committed to replacing the four Oak trees this autumn."
By planting 4 acorns?
A counter-argument in a letter to AXA by
Jeffrey G Duckett B.A., PhD., Cantab., FLS, FZS
Emeritus Professor of Botany, QMUL and research associate NHM,I am dismayed at your response to the request to prevent the felling of 4 mature oaks in Queen’s Wood Highgate.
The instructions for felling appear to be based solely on financial, legal and/or insurance requirements with total disregard for the environment. This tree loss is NOT necessary and I do not believe that the ‘circumstances’ should be allowed win out as this argument is extremely weak. In addition, the suggestion of replanting to replace 100 year old trees is ludicrous.
In any event, felling the 4 trees may not resolve the subsidence problems. In fact, taking an overview of the site, this is very unlikely to do so. It should also be noted that some of the information being circulated is incorrect viz that the trees are around 50 years old when in fact they are mature oak standards over 100 years old with straight trunks and must have grown up in closed ancient woodland.
The request to fell the 4 oaks is based solely on the discovery of oak roots at 105 Wood Vale and takes no account of other vegetation. It should also be noted that the mature oak currently spared the felling lies within the tree-to-damage distances for oaks as does a 5th oak standard next to the road. The site contains numerous trees including holly, hornbeams (probably regrowths from coppicing in the 1930s) wild cherries, a crab apple and younger oaks. Comparing the 80-90 year old hornbeams with the 4 oaks indicates that the latter are much older trees.
Although the 4 oaks are almost certainly contributing to the damage to 105 Wood Vale their removal will probably reduce water demand from trees overall by 30% at best. The risk of further damage from the remaining trees will remain high. The only solution is to clear fell the entire plot thus destroying the ancient woodland ecosystem completely! Even that might not work due to natural seasonal swelling and shrinkage of the clay substratum at 105.
I take serious issue with your statement that the 4 trees are not of such great value as the larger mature oak (probably >250 years old). Together they are vital components of the ancient woodland ecosystem which will be seriously damaged should they be removed.
Two final issues concern the history of the site and the home owners’ insurance. The current owners bought the property some 25 years ago knowing that there had been previous subsidence problems with the house built in 1967. They have also been paying elevated premiums on their AXA consequent on subsidence risks. Subsidence dating from the last (20th) century clearly indicates that there were mature trees next to 105 for some considerable time and signals a lie to statements that they are only 50 years old.
Here it must be underlined that, in full knowledge of mature trees next to 105 and their attendant risks, the builders did not put in adequate foundations. Something is very wrong if the environment and Haringey might suffer from a problem which was entirely not of their making.Thus, I remain vehemently opposed to this proposed felling on grounds of both damage to the urban environment, with preservation of ancient woodland as the top priority, and the likelihood that it will not stop the subsidence. As a professional botanist of over 50 years standing, I am surprised that such a worthy organisation as the Woodland Trust would even countenance such a shabby approach.
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Two possible solutions:
1. 5,000 serious protestors have signed against removal of the trees. £54 per head = £270,000.
2. The 18th century Irish statesman Henry Grattan (of Grattan's Parliament fame) was advised by his Estate Agent that the safety of one of his houses was threatened by a magnificent beech tree nearby. He should have it removed. 'Nonsense,' Henry retorted. 'I know that tree. It has never threatened or intended any harm to anyone.' However, on mature reflection he decided that some action was required. He told his Agent to knock down the house that was threatening the inoffensive tree. AXA stupid question in Queen's Wood and you invite an intelligent reply. Down with No.105, I say. Move the owners to a flat in Northumberland Park.
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Permalink Reply by PeterPiper on
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10 x upticks OAE.
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Permalink Reply by Colinloves on
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Im glad someone else shares my solution :)
Fell the house
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Permalink Reply by Sapphireblue on
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Oh it's AXA Insurance who are used by my leaseholder and have been threatening me for 2 years - there's subsidence in the two flats at the back of this Victorian terrace. Mine has the garden and they want me to cut down, what they call the 'vegetation' up to 15 foot from my back door which opens into the garden. This includes one 6 foot maple tree, one 6 foot crab apple tree, a lilac bush, a cotoneaster bush and last but not least a 9-10 foot pear tree which is 15 feet away from the back wall. In other words, they want to virtually destroy 50% of the plants in my 30-foot garden. My arboriculturalist friend tells me the subsidence is nothing to do with any of these small trees, it's about the whole area being built on clay soil and shrinkage due to years of hot summers and drought. I feel now I have no choice but to capitulate as a large crack has appeared above the doors to my garden and the curtain rail is dipping in the middle. They will not begin to deal with it unless I agree to their terms.
I have a new name for AXA Insurance and their solicitors I call them 'The Tree Huggers', (this is ironic of course). I find them to be generally unpleasant, unhelpful and totally lacking in any sort of empathy. We are forced to have them as our (very expensive ) insurers by the leaseholding company Crabtree Property Management.
Perhaps we could start a Twitter campaign against this company bent on destroying trees everywhere with no thought for the environment or climate change.
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