A private property poplar came down on King George Terrace last week with a bit of fanfare, but before causing any devastation.
“There was a private report done on the tree by a company and there was some significant decay found in one large stem that had the possibility to fail onto the road,” said Chris Hyde-Lay, manager of parks for Oak Bay.
He read from the report that in part said the weak stem “could significantly damage as it is weighted toward the overhead utility lines, street and sidewalk.”
The fast-growing Lombardi poplar is often planted as wind break.
“They live about 100 years an then they start to fall apart and this was on that threshold,” said Hyde-Lay.
“Because it was a protected tree we (Oak Bay) do get a tree in return.”
At about 180 centimes in diameter it was well within the guidelines for a mature protected tree – which must be 60-centimetres in diameter at breast height.
At 110 feet, the lift truck that came in to do the work is double anything the district owns Hyde-Lay said.
