Why WBC have to remove the trees

The 56 large mature Lombardy poplars on Stroud Green were planted around 1967, making the trees nearly 60 years old, which is much older than their expected lifespan.

Lombardy poplars (Populus nigra 'Italica') are a rapidly growing, but short-lived tree, which can reach 40-50 meters in height. They have a distinctly columnar shape and are often planted as windbreaks or privacy screens. Their typical lifespan is between 30-50 years; however, they are susceptible to stem canker disease and shed their branches quite easily.

Three of the trees on Racecourse Road have fallen in the last three years, one across Racecourse Road and two onto the Green. Following a detailed inspection of the trees in 2023, we found that most of them had some level of decline and hollowing, and six of them urgently needed to be felled, which was carried out in January 2024. We're now at the point where we need to fell the remaining 50 trees to keep the public safe.

What the replacement plan is

WBC are planning to replace the felled trees between November 2025 and February 2026, as this will give us the time to source the chosen trees and plant them at a suitable time of the year.

Approximately 20 years ago, we planted two rows of London plane trees on the park sides of Racecourse Road and we currently have 46 of these trees remaining, which range from 6 to 10 metres tall. These trees are slow growing, will reach a height of 35 metres, and live for several hundred years. They are valued for their ability to adapt to urban conditions and resistance to pollution, and are therefore widely planted as a street tree in large cities.

The London plane trees will eventually be the dominant trees, but while they are getting bigger, we want to plant a line of smaller, faster-growing trees alongside them, to provide interest, colour and more space for wildlife.

The health of these new young trees will be monitored and maintained by our Countryside Service and if they fail to thrive, we'll replace them to ensure the continuity of the avenue.

Why they need your help

It's important that WBC understand what local people would prefer, and we'd like you to rank, in order of preference, the following type of trees you'd like to see planted alongside the London plane trees:

1. Same species as has been felled i.e. Lombardy poplar

2. Similar upright form to the Lombardy poplar, but a different tree e.g. Black pine or Cypress oak

3.More rounded form in comparison to the Lombardy poplar e.g. small-leaved lime

Certain species of trees are not suitable for the site due to the soil type and the amount of sun/shade, e.g. Acers. However, we're open to your suggestions.

How to take part

If you'd like to get involved, please complete our survey by midnight on Sunday, 1 September 2024. It should take about five minutes.

Complete our survey

If you have any questions about the survey, please email trees@westberks.gov.uk

For general enquiries about Parks and Countryside, please visit our webpage.

What happens next

All feedback we receive will be considered, analysed, and used to help us decide which type of tree to use in the replacement scheme. A final decision will be made by officers in October 2024.

The new heavy standard trees will be sourced in time for the November 2025 to February 2026 planting season.

If you'd like to keep up to date with how we're doing, please subscribe to our free Environment e-newsletter.

NB:Please allow enough time to complete the online survey. There is no 'save and continue' button, however, if you use the same device and web browser you started completing the survey with, you can pick up where you left off and/or edit your response until the survey closes. This is because a cookie is stored in your browser that remembers your survey response. Please note, responses are saved and submitted 'page by page' when you click the 'Next' or 'Done' button at the bottom of each page; they don't automatically save as each question is answered. If more than one person in your household wishes to complete the online survey, they must use a different device and/or browser.