Rare 150-year-old Sheffield tree and iconic landmark felled due to internal decay
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The iconic 33 metre high Black Poplar tree on Beaver Hill Road in Woodhouse was cut down in sections on August 3 and 4.
It comes after Tree Inspector Nathan McWhinnie surveyed the rare 150-year-old tree with Sheffield City Council and found that the tree had ‘shed a large lower limb’ which showed extensive decay.
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Hide AdA decay detection device found a column of internal decay inside the mature tree, which lead to the decision to cut the Poplar down in the interests of ‘public safety’.
Thompson Tree Services, in conjunction with Steve Foster Cranes, felled the historic tree down in sections over the course of two days earlier this week.
There were checks to ensure there were no nesting birds or bat roosts.
Large sections of the rare tree were dropped into woods at the request of community environmental group, the Friends of Shirtcliffe.
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Hide AdAll that remains of the 150-year-old tree is a four metre stump and a five foot diameter off-cut which shows 50 per cent of rot in the heart of the tree trunk.
Peter Wolstenholme, who photographed the felling, said: “I covered this local issue because over recent years the city council’s dealing with mature trees has been questionable.”
"Examining the main trunk after felling showed the rot was more extensive than thought and indicated that in the not too distant future the remaining 25 metres above the stump could have snapped off with catastrophic results.”
