ANOTHER TREE BITES THE DUST

Another tree falls over in Acton Green as concern grows about maintenance of local tree stock

Acton Green lost yet another tree on Friday night during the relatively high winds. Ironically, it placed itself precisely in the spot where Christmas trees are laid for recycling. Chiswick needs as many trees as it can get to help counter our pollution rates.

Fortunately no one was hurt: a few years ago when another tree was blown down in Acton Lane, it landed on a row of parked cars, writing off two of them.

The general maintenance of trees is causing some concern in Chiswick. Much of the tree stock is old and decaying and potentially unsafe. Budget cuts have meant that tree pruning operations occur less regularly leading to problems for residents such as loss of light and fouling of cars by nesting birds, particularly pigeons. Longer term concerns are subsidence caused by tree roots.

In Hounslow borough, CIP, the organisation responsible for maintaining trees have admitted that some trees may not be pruned until 2005. CIP has said that they are aware that a number of trees had grown so that branches were touching houses. They have asked Hounslow Council for extra funding to enable them to prune such trees this autumn.

September 9, 2002

Tree Maintenance in Chiswick Discussion on forum