Tree Preservation Report
Parish Id:
21
Address:
in the front garden of
Wavering Down
Webbington Road
Cross
Axbridge
Sequence:
1
Year:
2007
Parish:
COMPTON BISHOP
Served:
23/03/2007
Location:
COMPTON BISHOP
Confirmed:
02/10/2007
OS Ref:
Removed:
Preservation Group Comments
| Group | Group Type | Species | Condition | Crown Spread | Height | Survey Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T / 1 | Individual Tree | Pine | Mature | 20 | 12 | 15/03/2007 | The tree is a fine specimen tree and is visible from Webbington Rd. No visible sights of decay/fungal attack. This tree has had little/no surgery and therefore has a natural habit. 21/09/00006 Consent to fell granted 04/09/2009 An inspection has been carried out to assess the health of the pine tree (T1) by SDC Landscape Officer with Mr S Scriven, SCC Arboriculturalist in attendance. The inspection of the tree has revealed that the main trunk has a large pruning wound at 1m on the south side, this is partially occluded but there is a pocket of decay above and below this point. Probing indicated that the decay was mostly confined to the area around the remains of the removed branch, this is being attacked by boring insects probably Longhorn Beetles. The trunk bifurcates at 5 metres and again at 7 metres, the branch structure shows signs of wind damage and there is some die-back of branches on the east side. The foliage is sparse with little extension growth and an estimate of needle density is 60% of what one would expect in a healthy tree.The owner has reported fungal bodies growing around the base of the tree earlier in the year but there was no evidence of these at the time of the visit. SCC arboriculturalist has concluded that the tree is in decline and has a relatively short life expectancy, perhaps as little as 5 years during which time he would expect the tree to gradually decline. It is not possible to determine what has caused the lack of vigour and thin foliage within the tree indicates a problem with roots or root collar. It is likely that the tree is infected with a fungal disease which might only manifest itself in the autumn and it is possible that the tree may be showing early signs of honey fungus. there are several other dead trees in the garden which are likely to have been killed by it. It is noted that the supporting arboriculturalist report from David Braybon has identified areas of decay from insect infestation on the main trunk and there is decay within an old pruning wound at 1.5m height on the south side of the trunk.An arborsonic test on the tree has also indicated that there was significant decay present around the area of the old pruning wound. To conclude, the tree is in decline and will deteriorate further, possibly shedding branches into the garden. The amenity value of the tree is diminshing as foliage is lost and branches are shed. There is therefore an acceptable health and safety reason to justify the felling of this tree at this time. |