Fears over major tree cutting operation at Sandown park

Christopher Saunders of Fairfield Gardens, whose property backs on to the railway line, fears the work is excessive and will serve only to impinge the aesthetic of the park.

The Isle of Wight Council says the trees will be maintained as pollards from now on with an annual pruning cycle ­— reducing the risk to the public.

The local authority says it has a duty of care to manage the risk posed by the trees, and it has become necessary for them to be cut back.

Scroll down for full council statement.

"It seems what they are doing is somewhat extreme," said Christopher.

"They're huge trees. If they were taking out the top third, still leaving these magnificent trees which have been there for God knows how long, it would be far more acceptable.

"It's quite like a graveyard over there at the minute.

"I feel it's more than just a safety issue. That's a huge contract in terms of labour, when we're talking about the local authority trying to save money and mitigate costs in certain places.

"You can see the weight of the trees ­— a huge bulk of timber ­— but if they took out the top third the rest would rebalance.

The work underway at Los Altos Park, Sandown.

"In this day and age, where we're saying we need trees for CO2 ­— to live ­— to go to that extreme.

"Go round the whole Island, you'll find places where trees are down, but you don't go and cut every tree down because some others have fallen.

"It's going to affect the wind pattern as well. You can see they absorb an awful lot of wind, and with all that down, it's going to be like a wind corridor.

"There appears to be little regard for not only the aesthetic appearance of what is being left behind, but also the wholesale decimation of wildlife habitat, in an area of parkland and natural beauty.

"The bank of trees running hundreds of yards along the edge of the railway, is home to rooks, crows, and much other bird life and as we have had sightings of red squirrel.

"My feeling is that the council should be mindful of retaining dwindling arboreal reserves, and the way in which this action is being conducted may not necessarily be in the best interests of the community at large."

The work underway at Los Altos Park, Sandown.

Site manager, Aaron Gustar of Ivy Tree Care ­— the company contracted by the Isle of Wight Council to carry out the work ­— says tree cutting is being carried out in the interest of safety.

He said he was aware some residents had complained about the work, but others had been pleased because they will get more evening sunshine.

"We're cutting these trees down to five or six metres because they've started to fall over," said Aaron.

"We're not felling any trees. Most of it's done with a cherry picker.

The work underway at Los Altos Park, Sandown.

"The trees have been been surveyed. They've been looked at by several different tree experts and it's the only measure we can take besides taking them out."

The work, which Aaron estimates will last five to six weeks, will see the tree line cut all the way along the railway.

Isle of Wight Council statement

A spokesperson for the council said: "It is our responsibility to protect and enhance our open spaces.

"With this in mind, it is our goal to increase the tree cover on our land holding by committing to planting more trees and working with a wide range of local stakeholders to secure the benefits of our natural assets for generations to come.

"As a council we also have a duty of care and so we manage the risk posed by trees. All our trees are regularly assessed and for safety, sometimes it becomes necessary to cut back or even remove trees.

"The planned Council tree works at Los Altos Park, Sandown is such a situation.

"The trees in question are a line of Holm Oaks along the park boundary with the Island Line Railway.

"The trees were once a hedge that has since grown into 20m high trees.

"Because of the growth habit of the Holm Oaks at this location, their closely planted proximity and their propensity to form a low arching overextended crown over the path and railway line, they pose a significant risk to the public when they fail, either onto the path in the park or the railway line.

"It is necessary, therefore, to reduce the risk with appropriate remedial works to the trees.

"However, if possible, we prefer not to remove these trees entirely and with this in mind, the Holm Oaks will be maintained as pollards from now on, with an annual pruning cycle.

"This means the tops will be cut off, but allowed to grow back until they are cut again in a few years' time, in a similar manner to plane trees on the nearby streets.

"These trees are a natural and cultural asset and therefore it is the intention of the council in the future to mitigate for the loss of canopy cover by planting a row of native tree species parallel to the line of Holm Oaks, but outside of the falling distance of the railway line.

"This will provide a greater diversity of native tree species for future generations to enjoy, whilst maintaining the safety of the public ­— our main priority."