Fallen Giant

It is a very sad time for Acomb, and indeed for York, as this ancient landmark tree succumbs after a very long innings.

This is nothing to do with the breezy weather that was about to head our way, but a massive branch of the 250-year old beech tree in our local churchyard came crashing down in the early hours of Friday morning.

I spoke to a friend who is co-ordinating the diagnosis by at least three respected tree firms. Sadly, they all predict that there seems to be quite deep-seated rot within the whole tree.

What does a real expert say? So, got one of my favorite books off the shelf to check:

"Middle-aged and old trees are poorly understood. Foresters are concerned with trees in their first quarter, at most, of their life-span. Middle-aged trees are more difficult to understand - human life isn't long enough...
...The grower of an oak for timber will think about felling it as 'mature' at 100 years, after 150 years it becomes a store of capital increasingly at risk of decay; if still standing at 200 years it may be cut down on the plea that it is 'dangerous', but if left alone it may live to the age of 400 or much more."
- Oliver Rackham. "Trees and Woodland in the British Landscape". J M Dent & Sons Ltd., London (1976).

Rackham is quite clear that beech trees are less able to repair, by natural branch shedding than are oaks. Quite frankly when I got close to take these images I have to admit that things look pretty poor. Indeed, the safety of the public cannot be ignored in such a place.

The collapse of just once massive bough of this majestic tree has wrought quite significant havoc amongst the gravestones, and I met a couple of locals quite distressed at the damage to loved ones' resting places. 

So, what can a photographer do other than try and capture a unique moment in time. I was still quite sad while doing so...

Contact Sheet.