King of Trees gets its coronet

A large oak tree on a busy road in Corsham that had displayed evidence of severe dieback has been given a new lease of life – as a habitat for up to 300 species – thanks to Bawden Tree Care.

This lovely veteran tree presented a risk to vehicles and pedestrians from falling limbs and branches. However, following a recommendation by Bawden Tree Care Supervisor David Abrahams, the land owners agreed to allow the creation of a tree ‘monolith’ to provide a wonderful habitat for birds, bats, insects, fungi and lichen.

Bawden tree surgeon Simon Laird was tasked with creating the monolith, which requires the skills of a highly trained climber. Once the tree’s limbs were ‘section felled’ and lowered to the ground, Simon set about creating a ‘coronet’ at the branch ends to resemble the fracture that might occur when a limb is lost naturally as a result of wind or storm damage. This approach provides a more natural look to the monolith and helps the establishment of lichen and fungi.

Tree Care team members Michael Clements and Simon Reed managed the health and safety aspects of the work and the chipping and logging of the felled timber.

The veteran oak no longer poses a risk to passers-by; instead, it will continue to enhance the landscape and provide homes for a myriad of species.