Council Protects Iconic Tree In Hailsham Town Centre

A significant programme of work carried out on the horse chestnut tree in Hailsham High Street has now been completed.

The tree, which was established in 1840 next to the war memorial and is currently 13 metres in height had showed signs of extensive hollowing within the stem, which had compromised its stability. Significant work was therefore undertaken on the tree last week in order to keep the tree in a safe condition for members of the public.

Hailsham Town Council’s Tree Warden had monitored the health of the tree in recent months with the assistance of an Arboriculture Association approved consultant and the tree has now been reduced in height by 2-3 metres and the necessary pruning of the tree’s crown on the canopy over the footpath has also been carried out.

“Trees add to an environment, and they need to be taken care of,” said Richard Gillett, works supervisor at Hailsham Town Council. “Due to the horse chestnut tree’s increasing hollowing near its base, we had to undertake significant work in order to retain the tree in an acceptably safe condition and free of structural failure.

Commending the work of the Town Council’s Tree Warden, Sam Spiers, who carried out the work, Mr Gillett added, “Making sure trees on public property are in good health and don’t become safety hazards falls into the hands of Sam, an experienced arboriculturalist who is responsible for notifying the Town Council of threats to trees such as illegal building works, diseases and vandalism and advising the Council on various tree matters including those relating to tree policies and preservation orders.

“The horse chestnut tree or of historical importance to the town and we’re delighted to have done what we can to prolong the tree’s life, whilst maintaining public safety as the key priority from the outset.

“I’d like to thank Extreme Powered Platforms Ltd for providing the elevating platform which enabled us to carry out this work.

Tree Warden Sam Spiers said: “The recent retrenchment pruning on this veteran Horse Chestnut went according to plan, with the desired affect. Weight within the upper crown was reduced sufficiently enough at this stage. However, a further reduction of the crown will need to take place in the coming years. This is in the interest of public safety as well as contributing to the longevity of the tree.”