ALTON has marked National Tree Week with the planting of two young specimens at The Butts.
Each season Alton Town Council has been planting new trees on the green alongside Butts Road, to replace horse chestnuts that have been removed and to maintain its obligation to replace trees that are subject to Tree Preservation Orders.
Deputy town clerk Greg Burt said that another tree was felled in May after a huge branch broke off.
For years the council has been replanting with horse chestnuts, confident that diseases such as honey fungus and phytophthora only affect older trees. However, the advice now is that horse chestnuts are becoming more prone to disease and bacteria, leading to their demise by such as bleeding canker – a condition exacerbated by the drier summers, and it is affecting younger trees.
Mr Burt said: "The advice was shown to be accurate when a branch from a much younger tree failed this summer.
"As a result, ATC has been planting more robust species such as London plane, tulip and sweet chestnut. These were chosen after investigation to find species that would retain the overall character of the site, resilience to drought in summer, the high water table in winter and disease."
ATC recreation committee chairman Roger Fitzer said: "The council takes the management of its extensive tree stock very seriously and is quite proud that it has kept up with the replacement of the lost trees on The Butts.
"We hope that as soon as the new management plan for the Public Gardens is finalised next year, we will be able to get some serious tree planting under way there also."
ATC aims to replace lost trees with large specimens which cost about £500, to include planting and underground guying. The survival rate of these has been 100 per cent. Some of the new trees on The Butts have been sponsored – for details on sponsorship, call Greg Burt on 01420 83986.