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Residents have spoken of its “utter devastation” after a 250-year-old pear tree in Warwickshire, a famous local landmark and England’s 2015 year tree, was cut down to make way for the HS2 railway line.
The tree, believed to be the second oldest wild pear in the country, had become a focal point in the protest against HS2, a high-speed rail line that will connect London and Birmingham and which protesters say will cause a enormous environmental damage. .
Sarah Morgan, a local artist who grew up in Cubbington, was walking her dogs Tuesday morning when she noticed workers beginning to cut the tree’s branches.
“I had to do a double take. We knew it was coming, but it was completely devastated. I realized that it is actually happening, ”Morgan said. “I have had many picnics sitting under the pear tree. It was just beautiful. “
Like many in town, he has been campaigning against logging in the South Cubbington Forest for a decade, and the fall of the pear tree was an emotional moment. “I shed quite a few tears. It’s so heartbreaking to watch and I’ve been praying for something to happen to stop it. “
“It’s absolutely devastating,” said Charlotte Griffin, a fellow campaigning and teaching assistant who lives nearby. “That tree represented a lot. It was a big part of the community, it was a symbol, an icon, like having a statue or a famous building in your neighborhood. It is the loss of heritage, landscape, biodiversity.
“It breaks my heart to be honest. I really have no words. “
A petition to halt the felling or relocate the tree garnered more than 20,000 signatures, but a response from the Department of Transport said: “HS2 Ltd explored all possible options to avoid removal of the tree, but due to its age and condition, removal it cannot be avoided. “
He added that more than 40 new trees have been grown from cuttings taken from the tree, and the young trees that have grown back would be planted in the local area, while “the stump and root structure will be relocated to provide a opportunity for the parent tree to grow again. ” .
Members of the local community have also requested that some of the wood be donated to them to remember the tree.
“There is nothing we can do about it now,” Morgan said. “No matter how many campaigns we have done, HS2 keeps moving forward. We move on and hope that one day it will stop. “
