The ‘dangerous’ tree on the corner of Vicarage and Barrow Road has been issued with a stay of execution after a member of the public bravely chained themselves to its trunk.
The tree, which has been threatening passersby with taunts of “Come any closer and I’ll have you“, was scheduled to be chopped down today on the orders of the All-New-Yet-Unimproved Somerset Cuonty Council who sneakily didn’t tell anyone of their plan until it was almost too late.
The resident told SomersetClive “I had a lovely chat with Kevin the Tree Surgeon, who expressed his surprise that no one had surveyed the tree in detail before deciding to chop it down. I then spoke to Somerset County Branch Holder for Trees, Mr Bitterman.
Mr Bitterman told me that I needed to get out of the way because Kevin would be doing the survey, but Kevin denied this, saying that it wasn’t his job. Arrangements are now being made for an ecologist to visit the site to take a look.”
Residents have expressed concern at the suggestion of removing the tree as it is believed to be a Black Poplar, a species in decline in the UK and is also home to a colony of bats – a protected species which can’t be disturbed before alternative homing arrangements are made.
There has been a call to remove some of the branches from the top of the tree, thus reducing the weight and thereby stabilising the trunk, rather than going for the cheaper option of full removal.
A 24 hour watch has now been placed on the tree, with residents primed to leap into action, should further intervention be needed.