Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Disappearing street trees
The two lime trees at the end of Langham Road & West Green Road have disappeared. They were a natural oasis for wildlife & residents among all the tarmac, bricks & pollution. I'm so sad that this has been done without any local consultation with neighbouring residents. Does anyone know any more about this & when replacement trees will be planted?
I've tried to attach/paste a google image, but can't because of copyright restrictions. do have a look at Street view images, the trees are in full bloom & look beautiful.
Tags for Forum Posts: trees
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Well, it's certainly true that a tree was taken out in a car accident. I see on Streetview that there were three trees at that point last October. I don't know how many survive now.
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I've just been past the trees and only one has been damaged and that was definitely broken in the car crash.
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Permalink Reply by Penguin on
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also when was it exactly. Hopefully they might replace the tree. we have so very little of them round here anyway.
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It's quite simple. Destroying or damaging street trees is against the law and punished with a large fine. Tell Alex fraser, our hard-working tree officer, and he will take action.
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As far as the two lime trees in the original post are concerned, I agree with Alan's comments. Tree Officer Clare Pappalardo has been first class in keeping HoL up to date with any tree changes in Harringay - and there's much more going on than we all notice day to day. All the trees that are removed do seem to be removed for good reason. Most commonly it's disease; more rarely it's as a result of an action brought by an adjacent householder, or their insurance company, for subsidence/heave caused by a tree.
To give you a sense, I searched my mailbox and found this typical email from Clare. In this case, it's from 2012:
Dear Hugh
Please see the attached list for details of tree removals (Road, location, species and reasons). Of the trees specified for removal, 11 are dead and fungal fruiting bodies have been identified on 18 more.
The two species of decay fungi identified are Phellinus pomaceus and Ganoderma applanatum/australe. You cannot treat decay fungi once it has colonised a tree. Ganoderma species cause extensive decay of the lower trunk and root plate making the trees structurally unsound with the potential to fail at or near ground level. Phellinus species causes decay in the main branches which can spread to the trunk and can lead to them failing.
The fungal fruiting bodies usually only appear after the trunk or branch are substantially decayed. Ornamental trees such as Cherry and Rowan do not respond well to decay and once colonised, their stability can weaken rapidly. Colonisation by Ganoderma fungi is the most common cause of street trees failing in the borough.
Trees identified with fungal fruiting bodies or other major defects cannot be safely retained on the public highway where the risk of damage or injury is high. Unfortunately, in situations like this, removal is the only option. It is regrettable when mature trees have to be removed, however, the Council has a duty of care with regards to trees and must take action where hazards are evident to minimise the risk to people and property.
The cost of pruning the trees specified as ‘unsuitable’ is approx £600. However, pruning alone would not alleviate the issues surrounding the root plate which is causing disturbance of the public footpath. They have been specified for removal in accordance with sec 5.3 from the Tree Strategy, which is an adopted policy of the Council (copy is attached).
The trees on Wightman Road that have been identified as having inadequate rooting have been reassessed and they will now be re-staked and monitored over the next few years to see if they develop sufficient roots to support themselves.
It is the council’s normal practice to leave a tree pit vacant for 12-18 months after the removal of a tree to allow the tree matter in the soil to decay.
Subject to funding we aim to prioritise 4 different wards each year for replacement and new tree planting. The Harringay ward is next scheduled to be targeted in the 2013/14 planting season. There is a commitment within the Council Plan to plant at least 150 new trees a year and we would seek to plant some new trees in Harringay Ward as part of this commitment.
In the meantime should there be an interest resident groups can apply for funding for new trees through the Forestry Commissions ‘Big Tree Plant’ scheme (see link) http://thebigtreeplant.direct.gov.uk/index.html
Between 2004 and 2011, a total of 124 street trees were removed from the ladder roads (31 were removed during the last planned work programme in summer 2008), but 308 new trees were planted during this period. Therefore, we have increased the local street tree population by 184 trees.
I have as promised attached a list of all trees removed in 2008. The 308 trees planted would have included the replacement of the ones felled in 2008
Clare Pappalardo
Senior Arboricultural & Allotments Officer
London Borough of HaringeyThis link should get you to the right place on Google Maps.
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I haven't got a direct number, but my experience (admittedly some time ago) of phoning the switchboard and asking to speak to a Tree Officer was very good - the dangerous tree was removed within hours!
If you can't get through by phone you could try flagging the problem on the map using fixmystreet.com - that's visible to anyone online, and should get through to the right department.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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I hope you're still right about the Tree Officers, Bob. And also agree about FixMyStreet.com. It's particularly useful in identifying problems which are either not fixed for far too long, or which recur persistently at the same location.
I worry that people may be put-off contacting the Council by having to be very patient and persistent when tapping numbers, and waiting in a phone queue listening to music. When you do get through to a human being, however helpful they try to be, they may not know the answer or even be able to assist.One development - and it's not only in Haringey - is for local council staff to be instructed to use Twitter to publicize changes or initiatives. (Presumably Twitter being seen as a "buzzy" "edgy and free platform.) But it carries the risk that people feel encouraged to use Twitter to report routine and sometimes urgent problems. So staff running the Twitter account - perhaps under pressure to type their daily quota of tweets - can become a "soft door" for people who can't get through to a Council in the usual ways.
The whole problem is amplified if direct contact phone numbers become deliberately hard to find on Council webpages. Or vanish altogether.
A tip for anyone trying to tweet Haringey Council. Avoid the spoof account: @https://twitter.com/harringeycounci
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020 8489 0000 is listed as the main one, or you could try 020 8489 1335 (Environmental Services and Community Safety) - which appears to include Tree problems. Both are for office hours only - I'm not sure what these are precisely.
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