Two mature trees in Exeter city centre will need to be felled because of safety concerns. Replacements trees will be planted on the sites.
Two mature trees in Exeter city centre will need to be felled because of safety concerns.
Replacements trees will be planted on the sites.
Perhaps the most well known of the two trees is a large sequoia (Wellingtonia/Giant Redwood) in Dix’s Field – outside the Civic Centre.
The tree is in advanced decline and down to less than 5% of viable foliage and sadly will not recover. It will be removed in the next couple of months.
The felling operation will require a crane as there are significant underground utilities close by.
Plans are to retain some of the timber on site as benches and possibly to have the stump professionally carved as a lasting memorial. The site will then be available for replanting.
Just down the road, in Longbrook Street, a coast redwood tree will also have to be felled, as even though it is still a young tree, it has already outgrown its site and is negatively affecting a closely monitored wall nearby.
The tree is in the grounds of York House, a City Council retirement housing complex. Redwoods can grow to up to 100m tall in their natural environment (more often around 50m in the UK) and as the stem girth increases, so will the pressure on the wall.
For safety reasons the tree will need to be removed.
Cllr Ruth Williams, Lead Councillor for City Management, said: “We never like to see trees come down and we don’t take these decisions lightly.
“At the end of the day, both trees need to be felled for safety reasons. The sequoia in Dix’s Field is in poor health and rapid decline. Unfortunately the redwood in Longbrook Street, although healthy, has outgrown its site and is causing issues with nearby structures.
"We have known about this problem for a while and did plant some replacements on site back in 2018. There will be room for further replacement planting and we will aim to find a more suitable location to plant a coast redwood and a wellingtonia.”
The redwood in Longbrook Street will be felled within 12 months.
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