"Our jaws just dropped, we never thought it would be that bad"

Thursday 19 January 2023

A local charity dedicated to planting and protecting trees has said it is "devastated" after a pair of Australasian forest trees which have been a "friend" to many islanders for nearly 50 years became casualties of the weekend's severe winds.

Roofing was torn off homes and numerous roads had to be closed after the severe-gale-force winds brought down dozens of trees across the island.

One area hit particularly badly was the arboretoreum at Val de La Mare. Charity Trees for Life, which looks after the area, described the scene on Monday as one of "devastation".

Numerous trees were damaged, while two of the collection's Giant Eucalyptus trees, which have been growing since 1975 and form part of the arboretum's Australasian collection, were completely uprooted and forced the charity and Jersey Water to close the surrounding area.

Pictured: The scene at the Val De La Mare arboretum.

“These are large, big trees so to see them on the ground is quite something," Jersey Trees for Life CEO Alex Morel said.

"Unfortunately, while they’re very tall trees, they have very shallow roots and in the wind we also lots seen lots of lost limbs."

In Australia, Giant Eucalyptus trees are nicknamed ‘widow makers’, as their wood is particularly heavy. As a result, the trees have a habit of dropping branches.

“When they come down, it can do a bit of damage," Alex said.

Pictured: A Giant Eucalyptus tree or 'widow maker'. 

The loss of these trees has been keenly felt by the charity, particularly as they had been the focus of recent preservation efforts.

Alex said: “When we went to go check on them, our Chief Arborist put it on FaceTime and our jaws just dropped, we never thought it would be that bad… You just can’t replace a tree that’s been growing for 46 years.” 

She added: “Old trees are like old friends. Lots of people come to see these trees because it reminds them of good times, of holidays in Australia or of particular people.

"In a sense, people come to see these trees to connect with people. It’s like losing a friend.”

Pictured: The lost trees had been growing in Jersey since 1975.

Jersey Trees for Life depends entirely on public donations, and so a number of the Giant Eucalyptus trees looked after by the charity are sponsored by individuals, often as a tribute to lost loved ones.

Fortunately, none of the sponsored trees were damaged in the gales.