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WATCH: Dreaming Trees event survives storm but loses "stars" of the show

WATCH: Dreaming Trees event survives storm but loses

Friday 17 November 2023

WATCH: Dreaming Trees event survives storm but loses "stars" of the show

Friday 17 November 2023


Another Dreaming Trees event at Howard Davis Park is still set to go ahead next year despite some of the illumination show's "star" trees being destroyed by Storm Ciarán.

Senior Operations Manager for Parks and Gardens, Bruce Labey, also said it will take at least "several weeks" to make all of the island's parks safe.

Providing an update this morning, Mr Labey commended the "sterling" work carried out by both the government's forestry team and private tree surgeons over the last two weeks, with roads still being cleared across the Island.

Government-run parks continue to be closed to the public, due to the dangers posed by damaged trees.

WATCH: Bruce Labey provides an update on the Island's parks.

Mr Labey explained: "Once we have finished making the roads safe and passable, then we can get in and inspect the parks. We can't open them until we've inspected them because there are some very large hanging branches in some of the trees and there are some unstable trees which are not as visible. There are still a lot of trees we're going to have to take down because they've had their roots damaged."

He continued: "We can't have people being injured by branches or even twigs frankly, we've got to inspect every tree in every park. Then, if necessary, we have got to climb every tree with a chainsaw and remove the hanging branches, the damaged branches, the twisted ones – basically it's going to take weeks."

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Pictured: Mr Labey said some parks could take "several weeks" to make safe.

He added: "We know we can open the Winston Churchill [Park] pretty swiftly, as there's very little damaged timber in the sense of felled trees.

"Next would be Howard Davis Park, we'll try and get that open as quickly as we can – but it's going to be several weeks.

"The worst-affected is coronation park at Millbrook. That's been flattened in certain areas and there's a lot of big pine trees in there."

Mr Labey said he was grateful to Islanders for their patience and stressed that the closures were in the interest of public safety.

"Please bear with us. We're not doing this to be awkward, we're doing this to make it safe for you and your kids to enjoy the parks."

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Pictured: The Dreaming Trees illuminations at Howard Davis Park earlier this year.

Mr Labey also said that the Dreaming Trees illuminations at Howard Davis Park, which were held for the first time last year and saw more than 30,000 people visit the park, would still be going ahead next February.

However, he added: "We've lost some of our star trees.

"We are in the advanced stages of planning next year's event – we will just have to go ahead and hopefully focus people's attention on trees in a positive way."

READ MORE...

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