200-year-old sycamore is no more (From Worcester News)

200-year-old sycamore is no more

10:50am Tuesday 19th January 2010 in Video By James Savage, @jamessavageWN #worcsnews

A 200-year-old tree in Worcester has been chopped down due to fears it posed a safety risk.

The towering sycamore tree stood in a garden above Fort Royal Hill and its roots were causing a resident’s retaining wall to collapse.

This led to fears it could fall down one day while someone was passing.

The sycamore was previously under a tree protection order but that was removed by the city council and the work was carried out yesterday. A replacement oak tree will be planted in its place. The felled sycamore will be sold for firewood.

A spokesman for Worcestershire County Council, which is responsible for highways and byways, said: “The county council has a duty of care to ensure the highway is safe for all users and after a thorough investigation it was decided that, in the interests of public safety, the tree would have to be completely removed to allow the wall to be rebuilt.

“We have been in regular communication with the owner of the wall who has agreed to rebuild it immediately after the tree has been taken out.”

Geoff Poole, tree protection officer for Worcester City Council, said the tree was in decline and only had a 10-year life expectancy.

Mr Poole said while the tree was not “shedding limbs, it would not have been safe to leave it until that started to happen.”