Council staff have been carrying out routine maintenance work to trees in Cross Flatts Park this week, removing dead, dying and broken branches.
The work is separate to the felling of trees suffering from the disease Ash Dieback which was carried out last year. However some ash trees have continued to deteriorate and will be felled over the coming weeks.
In a message to ward councillors, a senior officer said:
“I am writing to inform you that the Forestry Operations section are currently undertaking works within Cross Flatts Park following a full inspection of the park completed towards the end of last year. These works are separate to the Ash Dieback specific works that were completed by one of our external contractors in 2024. We expect the team to be on site for the next couple of weeks.
“The works currently being undertaken predominantly consist of routine maintenance including the removal of dead, dying and broken branches as well as addressing any infrastructure conflicts. There are also some removals scheduled. These predominantly focus on Ash trees that have unfortunately continued to decline due to Ash Dieback since the initial Ash survey and Ash Dieback specific works were completed.”
Photo: Keith Fuller
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This time would it possible to drop the wood chip off at the Clarkesfield Allotment site just over the road from the park?
The allotment holder can recycle this by using it for paths on their plots or using it as a mulch to help tackle weeds and also the retain moisture.
The contractors from the tree works carried out previously just left the wood chip in the middle of the park which encouraged some antisocial behaviour.
The council hold all contact details of the site chairperson. Seems like a win win to me!