The tree before and after

This morning I heard the sound of a chainsaw out the back and noticed that they were pollarding this sycamore in a garden just along from me. You can see how tall it was before in the picture on the left, taken just after they started, compared to the finished job on the right. I often feel sorry for trees when they're cut back like this but this time I think they've done a good job. I saw it from another angle from a friend's balcony later and it looked really good.

This tree is one of three sycamores that run along a green corridor behind my house formed by the back gardens of two side streets. A year or two ago I got a letter saying that these trees were the subject of tree preservation orders. Then, toward the end of last year, I got another letter saying that an application had been made to remove this one and they were seeking opinions from people who might be affected. I can appreciate that it must block the light for the people whose garden it is in but it did seem to me slightly nonsensical for a tree to be protected one year and chopped down the next. Tree preservation orders would be pretty meaningless in this case. So I wrote in saying that I objected to its removal unless it was diseased or dangerous and wouldn't it be better to cut it back.

So you can imagine I was pleased to find that was what they were doing today. When I first heard the chainsaw I was slightly worried they might be removing it!