sean

The Mutt

And there is a lack of after care which I see many many cases of.

It looks to me like Magistrates can impose a max fine of £20,000 but serious cases can be refered to Crown Court where an unlimited fine can be imposed.

I also thought that would have been a given under the circumstances. I'm hoping to speak to somebody at Swansea council some time today so will put that question to them.

Yes David. Thanks And well spotted.

I have been doing some research into this sad situation and here is a quick outline of my findings. It appears that the Wellingtonia in question. was planted in 1842 by John Dillwyn Llewellyn. He was a prominent member of Victorian Society and was a pioneer of Horticulture, Photography and Astronomy. The first photograph of the moon was taken from an observatory that he built on his estate. I have seen the Arboricultural report which clearly identifies the Wellingtonia as a Category A (Heritage) tree and is clearly marked for retention. I have also spoken with the consultant arb who put the report together who in his words 'is gutted and feels sick' that the tree has been removed. On Friday I finally had a call back from from the MD of Enzo homes who maintains 'that it was a mistake. I asked my foreman to mark all trees that had a TPO and the Welligtonia was missed'. For a tree of this significance to be felled 'by mistake' is unbelievable and inexcusable. With regards to fines etc, what is an acceptable amount? We are all aware of the pitiful fines that have been served to developers in the past so what is an adequate fine which would serve as a deterrent in the future? Given that this particular tree has a CAVAT value of approx £350,000 should the fine be an equivalent amount perhaps? And now there are accusations of more trees being removed illegally. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/more-trees-may-been-removed-15500144

Bet they’ve had a few sleepless nights over the years!!!

Fascinating Synopsis about the 21 different types of Whitebeam found within the Avon Gorge, Bristol. Special place.

Severn Bridge Sunset today.

Just checked on the Ancient Tree Inventory and theres no mention of them so I will go and see if they will let me survey and record them.

Brilliant, thanks mate

Remarkable in fact.

Phoenix Hornbeam...providing important habitat and currently colonised by cuddly toys.

Cheers Gary. Yep staying positive and laughing as we have done since it happens really. Obvs not so good days but just got to keep going and thanking our lucky stars for all that we do have.

We have our first round of 'Settlement' talks in November with QC's from both sides where the case will be discussed and QC's and lawyers will sit around and play 'Poker' until an agreement is reached. That could go to 2/3/4 more meetings meaning many more months. It seems for the last 3 years we have become a cottage industry where QC's, lawyers, case mangers, expert witnesses, specialists of every description are all getting paid for their services and in the meantime we have had not a penny. It is what it is though.

Thanks mate.... 3years on now and getting on with life.........you can read about the aftermath here.....

Things can ALWAYS go wrong no matter. I worked on rigging jobs for years without a hitch. One day something went wrong and I am now in a wheelchair. I will talk about the accident when insurance and everything else is sorted but my advice is to NOT cut corners and ensure everything is done properly and all bases are covered....period!

Hi Mate.... Where about are these please? Im in Bristol and wouldn't mind going to have a look. Are they on the Ancient Tree Inventory do you know? If not I can go and record them.

Great book

Really interesting but at times a saddening thread.

Peely bark and colour of leaves makes me think of Eucalyptus Cinera. (Silver Dollar) ?

Yes me too. Its been a bit weird as my whole perspective has obviously changed since being in the chair which has meant rethinking how I photograph things.

Looking towards Bristol from Ashton Court.

Available from today for download this fantastic new tree planting guide written by Dr Andrew Hirons (Myerscough) and Dr Henrik Sjoman in conjunction with TDAG. A wealth of information to help select tree species for planting schemes. A lot of work has gone into this and I had the pleasure of hearing them both speak so passionately about this project at a conference in Birmingham earlier in the year. https://www.myerscough.ac.uk/media/4052/hirons-and-sjoman-2018-tdag-tree-species-selection-1-1.pdf