including Beech Bottom Dyke and Sandridge Road Wastes
FOBH Tree Warden, Roger Miles, has spent years tending Bernards Heath and the Sandridge Road Wastes (SRW), including a multi-year effort to rescue a pear tree. Before 2017, he spotted an ornamental pear on the eastern side of the SRW which was growing at a jaunty angle.
His careful work over the last seven years has resulted in a vigorous and upright tree which is now a credit to the area.
Our thanks to Roger for his continuous, and often under noticed, work conserving our local flora.
Our Tree Warden, Roger Miles, has spotted that this tree, one of the largest on the Upper Field, has suffered a large crack in its trunk. A branch has now fallen as shown below.
It is a Norway Maple, about half way along the tarmaced path.
The photos below show the original crack, several feet long. It is dangerous to go near the tree which has now been red/white taped off .
The break in the tree, seen from both sides, is shown below.
Two other trees on the Heath, a beech and a cherry have recently lost heavy branches, but in these cases the cause was rot in the in the point where the branch met the main trunk.
The dangerous nature of this tree has been brought to the attention of SADC and now only the stump remains. It was necessary to remove the remaining branch because of its hazardous state,
Yesterday, 25th June, was not only unusually hot (31°C), but also very windy. Strong winds in summer can easily damage trees when they are in full leaf and it is often local ash trees that come to grief. A large elder branch came down on a well used path near Edmund Beaufort Drive – see photo below.
This path was often really muddy and slippery in winter. To alleviate this , the Friends of Bernards Heath (FoBH) supported improvement work here and also in several places near Heath Farm Lane. St Albans District Council contributed £3,431 and FoBH £1,000. The muddy paths have been layered with grey road scalpings.
The tree damage has been reported to the Council.
There can be little doubt that the beech tree shown below is the largest and and most attractive on the Heath. Unfortunately, it has lost a big branch. Roger Miles, tree warden, has pointed out that this was the result of water collecting at the base of the branch and causing rot. A similar event occurred on a Sandridge Road cherry tree last year.
The heavy branch hangs dangerously on other branches and should not be approached. The Council has been informed and we hope that it can be dealt with soon.
10 June – Branch removed and sawn up
The news that a large sports area development next to Bernards Heath was a surprise to many, since entry to the site is along Spinney Lane, which is part of the Heath. This lane is much used by pedestrians and forms part of a National Cycle Trail.
Continue reading “St Albans High School for Girls Sports Field”In April last year a cherry tree dropped a large branch in Sandridge Road. Now another cherry tree has dropped a smaller branch about 50m away, as shown below.
FoBH Tree Warden Roger Miles says that ‘the original ornamental cherries on Sandridge Road have once again demonstrated that they are at the safe end of their lives’.
Continue reading “Another cherry tree drops branch in Sandridge Road”This storm on Friday 18th of February was one of the fiercest in the UK for many years. It took down several trees, mainly on the area to the west of Harpenden Road. The biggest was this near the entrance to Spinney Lane. Luckily, there were no leaves on the trees, otherwise damage could have been more widespread. The tree was blocking Spinney Lane, but has now been cleared.
This substantial branch of a Field Maple Tree has fallen on the path from Edmond Beaufort Drive and Spinney Lane. We can remove the smaller branches to clear most of this well used path, but the main part of the branch will need a chain saw.
The image on the right shows the lobed form of the leaf which is relatively small compared other maple leaves on the Heath. These trees are members of the acer family.
Thanks to RM for advice on trees.
Update 22/10/21: branch now removed from path
In the 1930s, St Albans Council erected a combined bus shelter and public toilets in the south corner of Heath Field. Sometime in the early 1980s, the building was demolished, leaving some laurel bushes which were common landscaping accompaniments to such facilities.
Continue reading “A sweet Smell of Success”
On Sunday morning, 18th April 2021, one of the Sandridge Road ornamental cherry trees found the weight of blossom on a branch too much to bear; it fell across the footpath and most of the road. Fortunately, nobody on the pavement or road came to any harm and that it was a Sunday morning when traffic was relatively light.
Continue reading “Breaking News on Sandridge Road”