New Arboretum for Hampden Park
The Arboricultural Team have been working with the Friends of Hampden Park to create a new grant funded Arboretum in the Park.
'The Trees Through Ages Arboretum' will contain significant trees that have been prominent throughout the history of the British Isles. It is aimed as a resource for local schools and an attraction for park users.
A recently constructed footpath will take visitors through the site allowing them to see the wide variety of native and introduced specimens that have made a significant contribution to the landscape of the British Isles.
Information will be given about the trees and the relationship to periods of our history with trees from the periods of early Britains, the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, the Tudors to the 18th and 20th century.
The tree planting will be undertaken in November, by our team and the Friends of Hampden Park, and it is expected the site will be ready for an official opening in the spring.
Dutch Elm Disease
As the summer ends the risk of Dutch Elm Disease outbreaks reduces. This season despite the severe drought conditions, which can increase infection rates, we have only removed 12 Highway specimens and 25 from private land.
The incident rate is calculated at 0.37% of our total Elm population, which is a decrease on last year. It is within our targets set during the recent Forestry Commission review of our use of the Dutch Elm Disease control legislation.
We are actively investigating Dutch Elm Disease infections in the St Anthony's and Seaside areas in an attempt to find any breeding sites of the beetle that spread the disease. This is after an outbreak that lead to the loss of four highway trees in close proximity to each other.
