THURROCK Council mounted an operation to remove a 150-year-old cedar tree after it died.
The enormous tree in Grays New Cemetery sadly only lived a fraction of the lifespan for cedars which can survive for more than 1,000 years reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The tree was one of a number of mature trees in the cemetery which are thankfully still thriving. Despite its age and size the tree was not covered by a t protection order. As it posed a risk to the public it was quickly removed by a council team.
A council spokesman said: “The Cedar tree was dead and the decision was taken to safely fell it as it was becoming brittle and was at risk of falling.
The tree was felled by expert climbers and done in such a way as to ensure that all nearby monuments were protected.
A new Cedar tree will be planted to replace this tree as part of Thurrock Council’s tree replacement policy.”
Cedars can grow to be 80ft tall and 50ft wide.
Because of their size the large coniferous trees are usually planted in public open spaces rather than private gardens.
Richard Longstaff from the tree conservation group Once-Upon-a-Tree, said: “Cedar trees live for hundreds of years, this doesn’t mean to say that this tree tree died suddenly. More often it is that a diseased tree starts to become a risk due to the greater potential for it to fall in high winds, which then becomes a public liability.
“However in my opinion, a tree’s decline can be managed, but more often we see this is not the case and an expedient decision is made simply because it is easier to execute than to manage the trees decline over a number of years and take necessary precautionary action in lopping off those boughs that are a risk. ”
