“ Cherished ” trees felled by the Barnet Council UK News

The “cherished” trees that were felled on a suburban street were suffering from wood rot, according to Barnet Council.

The council said it will plant new trees to replace those that have been removed from Strathmore Gardens, Finchley, for reasons of public safety.

Some neighbors had raised concerns about the logging, which took place earlier this month, and what they claimed was a lack of advice from council.

Rob White, who lives in Strathmore Gardens, was initially shocked by the removal of what appeared to be healthy trees.

“These trees are cherished by the people the council is supposed to serve,” he said.

“I just think they should handle it better. Grades had barely gone up a week before the first tree was destroyed.

“Part of that time was a holiday, so we couldn’t call them to object directly by phone.

“They didn’t give enough notice – a piece of A4 tied with duct tape is not enough. There was no further warning.

“The takedown notice gave Barnet’s primary phone number – which often takes forever to answer, if at all.”

A tree that has been marked for removal (Image: Rob White)

A spokesperson for the Barnet Council said: “Unfortunately, the two trees in question were suffering from wood rot to such an extent that they had to be removed for public safety. We will be planting new trees in their place this winter. We provided a notice of tree removal in advance by attaching notices to both trees.

“We have an ambitious tree planting program which is detailed in our award winning tree policy. The initiative includes the planting of 900 new trees each year in the borough, including the replacement of our dying ornamental trees like the two plums at Strathmore Gardens.

“It will improve air quality, reduce the risk of flooding and strengthen our reputation as one of London’s greenest boroughs.”