Saving Historic Cedar Tree at Brockham Grove

This majestic Cedar Tree was originally condemned due to an 8m crack at a main union of multiple stems.

The owners of Brockham Grove were upset at the thought of having to fell such an historic tree and asked for a second opinion, wishing to find a way to save this magnificent tree.

Chartered Arboriculturist, John Harraway’s opinion was that it did not need to be felled. Instead, he recommended installing a seven way bracing system and lightly prune the lower lateral branches. John suggested to the owners of the tree that they engage Connick Tree Care to carry out this specialist work.

John and George O’Flanagan of Connick Tree Care both climbed the tree for a closer inspection of the cracking to work out the best bracing configuration to alleviate the stress and pressures on the crack.

Once the bracing was installed the height of two of the stems on the south side, which appeared to be at most risk of movement, were reduced.

After the work had been completed, John Harraway rose again, this time by a lift, to inspect the braces. He noted that, “They were very tight but there were already signs that squirrels had been gnawing on at least one of the bracing straps around a stem, so an eye will need to be kept on this.”
Whilst work has been undertaken to prevent further fracturing from occurring, regular inspection and maintenance will be prudent in the future.

When Andrea Neal of Brockam Grove visited the cedar tree she wasn’t quite sure what she might find. She said, “I am just so impressed! What an excellent job. Unless you knew or were looking for it you can hardly see any work has been done. The tree has retained the beautiful shape, yet obviously a vast amount has been removed and hopefully lightened the load. Even the top two are so well done you have to look for it. Thank you, and Connick for such a superb bit of work.”