Essential tree safety works are due to start at Los Altos Park in Sandown next week.
The maintenance work is not only vital for public safety, it is necessary to preserve and improve biodiversity and allow the native tree species and wildlife to flourish.
The works will be carried out by Isle of Wight tree care and woodland management experts, Greenscapes. They have been timed outside of the nesting and overwintering bird seasons.
Gillingham: Structural failures have increased, and trees have begun to collapse
Tony Gillingham, the Isle of Wight council’s tree officer, said removing the poorer specimens of the non-native Holm Oak would ensure the retained trees have the light and space they need.
He explained,
“Because of their tall slender nature, many of the park’s Holm Oaks suffer from structural defects that require regular arborist intervention.
“Trees that grow very close together in this way, without thinning or management, tend to develop poor structural form, becoming very slender and unbalanced, forming defects such as bark inclusions that are prone to failure.
“Over the last year, structural failures have increased, and trees have begun to collapse putting people at risk.
“Last winter, at least six trees failed in this way, and many more failed for other structural reasons. If we do nothing, we will steadily lose these trees as they continue to collapse.”
Once the grounds of a grand estate
Los Altos Park was once part of the grounds of a grand estate, planted with trees of interest in a urban parkland style.
Originally the Holm Oaks were maintained as neat Victorian hedges but over the years have grown into tall, thin structurally poor trees that cast excessive amounts of shade onto the park.
The habitat is poor for wildlife while the dark environment encourages antisocial behaviour.
Opening up the park will not only make the woodland more welcoming, it will also make it more accessible to residents.
Supporting biodiversity
While it can look quite dramatic at first, woodland management is vital to support a huge diversity of plants and animals.
Song birds for example use different types of vegetation for different parts of their life, tending to nest in denser vegetation, like hedgerows, but often feeding in trees and grassland.
Gillingham: Work will encourage diversity of invertebrate life currently missing from the site
Tony added,
“These works will heavily increase the light reaching the ground, allowing grass to recolonise the bare ground under the trees, allowing shrubs and herbaceous plants to thrive once more.
“This will encourage a diversity of invertebrate life that is currently missing from the site, which will in turn attract birds, bats, and small mammal life into the park.”
Tree management is a core part of the council’s Climate and Environment Strategy. Two full-time tree officers are now employed by the authority to carry out risk assessments and maintain tree stocks across all council-owned land.
This has benefits for safety, tree health and increasing biodiversity and amenity value in our parks and open spaces.
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
