A felled giant

Friday was a dank, damp day so I have reverted to a back blip from our visit to Petworth House last Wednesday. This Giant Redwood was planted in 1869.  When the estate team saw evidence of rot, a survey was carried out in 2023 when it was found that the base had lost 28% of its structural integrity. This meant that the tree posed a significant risk and sadly had to be felled. It took a year of fundraising to meet the cost ,as felling a tree of this size is a major undertaking. After it was felled it was discovered that the tree had once suffered a lightning strike. Although the tree survived that occurrence, it is thought that is how rot began to set in. The timber is still on site and is to be used to construct nature play areas that will be open for children's enjoyment in the summer of 2025.