Lough trees to be cut down for safety reasons

Several trees around Cork’s famous Lough wildlife sanctuary are to be cut down for health and safety reasons.

Contractors are due to move on site this week to fell six poplars on the Lough Rd side of the lake, which are posing a risk to public safety.

A city council spokesman said parks officials have been monitoring the health of the trees for some time. He said this type of tree is not ideally suited to this location, and that the trees have become diseased and rotting.

He said experts surveyed the trees recently and decided that because they are rotting, they now pose a risk to public health and safety.

The spokesman said they will be replaced with a more suitable species of tree.

It is expected that some restrictions will be imposed on a section of the popular public walkway around the lake while the tree felling is under way.

Meanwhile, a centuries-old landmark tree in the city’s western suburbs was felled at the weekend — again for health and safety reasons.

The large Monterey Cypress — commonly known as Macro Carpa — which stood alongside a walkway near the former Crow’s Nest pub on Victoria Cross, was removed on Sunday night.

A large branch fell from the tree several years ago and officials from the city council’s parks department have been monitoring its health closely.

A recent detailed survey found that the centre of the tree had rotted and split.

A decision was taken in recent months to remove it in the interests of public safety.