Griffith Avenue Trees - Autumn 2022 Update
Commitment to Griffith Avenue is welcome
Dublin City Council (DCC) officials and our public representatives have committed to the reinstatement and maintenance of Griffith Avenue’s trees. The Avenue is of huge value as a century-old double tree lined boulevard, unique in Ireland. It serves as a public amenity and a mature biodiversity corridor of significant natural history importance in an urban setting.
All Hallows Area Association (AHAA) will therefore continue to promote and encourage the maintenance and conservation of the avenue into the future, including inputting to local authority heritage initiatives and plans.
The Association understands that DCC’s current Tree
Strategy 2016-2020 is being updated at present.
Events timeline:
August 2021
- 18 mature trees felled
in our area without notice by Dublin City Council (DCC) contractors following DCC
survey which revealed diseased trees posing a risk to public safety.
September 2021 to February 2022
- Detailed survey by AHAA
members of our section of Griffith Avenue reveals loss of 60 trees going back
years, including the 2021 fellings and older gaps.
February 2022
- AHAA Report sent to DCC
Parks Department and local Councillors and relevant public representatives.
March 2022
- 20 young London Plane
trees planted but only 2 of the August 2021 fellings replaced!
Some of the new plantings replaced old gaps in the tree line but 8 others were
seemingly planted at random.
The Council’s projected estimate for planting of 10-20 more trees in March 2022 did not happen
Further Fellings - 2022
- An additional 2 trees
have been felled in September while 1 appears to have been felled earlier in
the year.
You can download the AHAA Autumn 2022 Tree Report here
In summary, 18 of the 21 trees felled since
August 2021 have not been replaced
18 of the 21 trees felled in August 2021 have not been replaced, including all 7 of those felled along the perimeter verges at the Cairn site.
How are the new plantings doing?
Not very well. In early September AHAA members
surveyed the new plantings and the findings are worrying. Of the 20 trees
planted, 10 appear to have failed, 2 are struggling and a further 5 have the
supporting stakes leaning and loose in the ground.
Half of the new 2022 plantings appear to have failed, as seen here between Calderwood and Glandore roads.
AHAA’s urgent concerns:
- Replace all of the seven trees felled in August 2021 along the Cairn development perimeter. None have yet been replaced.
- Replace any of the March 2022 plantings that DCC conclusively finds to have failed.
- Urgently repair/renew the support stakes of 5 of the new plantings because they have worked loose and are in effect pulling down the very trees they were supposed to support
A quarter of the new 2022 plantings are being pulled down by their support stakes having worked loose out of the ground, as here near the Griffith Avenue – Turlogh Parade junction.
AHAA further requests:
- Dublin City Council replace every tree that has been removed on the Avenue over time, including old gaps as AHAA already asked for earlier this year.
- Sight of the Council’s plans and work in progress for both replacement and reinstatement.
- Sight of the complete section of the current DCC survey of Dublin trees relevant to AHAA’s area.
What can residents do to help?
- Keep an eye on our website for updates including new tree plantings in our area and any potential role for residents in this regard.
- We ask residents to lobby their public representatives to implement a programme of tree reinstatement and maintenance.
- Be aware that trees are living organisms and tree roots can be damaged by the pressure caused by parking cars on top of or close to the roots of trees. Our neighbours in South Dublin County Council have useful advice in their current Tree Management Policy.
See link below in particular page 8 Paragraph 1.4.
Another useful link regarding watering young trees. A general rule is that they should receive at least 50 litres of water per week in May, June, July and August – Source Trees.org.uk Arboricultural Association
https://www.trees.org.uk/Help-Advice/Public/Watering-young-trees-in-dry-weather