We noticed that there were quite a few posts appearing on Facebook regarding the removal of trees in the churchyard at St Mary’s, Eccles, some of the posts were misguided to say the least amongst them claims that the trees that had been felled were perfectly healthy and one that hinted that this was part of a plan to help speed along plans for proposed new flats in nearby St Mary’s Road.
A visit to the churchyard did indeed show several trees had been felled and during my visit, work was going on to fell another, I spoke to one of the workmen who told me that the trees that had been felled were diseased, and if not acted upon the rest of the remaining trees were at risk of contamination. The fungal disease attacks the inner parts of the tree and so to the untrained eye it may at times appear that the tree is healthy. Salford Council has been fighting to prevent the disease from spreading and so when an affected tree is detected it sadly has to come down in order to protect those surrounding.
Additionally the unhealthy tree can be a risk to the public who walk amongst them as well as to nearby buildings. The weakened trunk can fail during high winds and cause damage, injury or even loss of life unless dealt with.
We contacted Salford City Council for clarification, which replied:
“The land in question is owned and managed by Salford City Council
Following a request from the church regarding the condition of the trees, the council carried out an inspection and identified several trees in poor structural health,
The assessment revealed significant dieback, limb failure, stem decay, and fungal activity along the main structural laterals.
For safety reasons, these trees were felled.
As part of the Woodland Creation scheme, 15 new trees will be planted to replace those that were removed”.
Photos taken at the site confirm that the tree was rotting from within, leaving branches and limbs in a serious and dangerous state of decay.
So there you have it, the church were concerned about the condition of the trees and contacted the Council who acted accordingly and lawfully to stop the spread of the affected trees.
Obviously its a major blow to the beauty of the churchyard, a wonderful place to both walk through or sit and admire the church and gardens, sadly for the best.
Despite what you may read on social media, Salford has undergone several tree planting programs and is committed to the City of Trees program which aims to create an urban forest across not only Salford but the rest of Greater Manchester.
8000 new trees alone will be planted in Salford, complimenting already existing projects which have seen trees planted to replace similarly diseased trees in Monton, 100 trees planted as part of the Queens Canopy at Buile Hill Park and countless others planted across the city in the last few years.
