Ancient felled oak tree was healthy, report finds

"A site inspection found no indications the 500-year-old tree in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, posed any danger. Aerial and ground photographs taken before the felling in April showed it was not overhanging the car park or any target areas, and a survey last year described it as a "fine specimen", with images showing healthy foliage and new leaf growth."

"The report said inspectors also found no signs of major tree diseases and noted the trunk was largely intact, aside from cavity which showed evidence of wildlife living there. The work carried out on the ancient oak left only a high stump and removed most of the crown - the reproductive part of the tree."

"Dr Ed Pyne, senior conservation adviser at the Woodland Trust, said the probabilities of the tree surviving now were "so slim". "If I had to put like a gut feeling on it, I would say like less than one percent chance," he said. "I visited the tree in the aftermath and there was absolutely no doubt in my mind the tree was very much alive.""

A 500-year-old oak tree in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, was felled in April despite a Forestry Commission inspection finding it healthy and posing no danger. Photographs and surveys showed no signs of major disease, no overhanging branches threatening the car park, and a trunk largely intact except for a cavity housing wildlife. The felling removed most of the crown, leaving only a high stump. Conservation experts estimate the tree's survival chances at less than one percent. The tree held historical significance, having existed since the gunpowder plot era. Local campaigners emphasize its ecological importance as an irreplaceable habitat and highlight the scale of destruction caused by its removal.

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