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By DAN CARRIER
 
Hampstead faces future without trees

THE leafy slopes of Hampstead could become nothing more than a memory for a generation as many of the area’s mature trees reach the end of their natural life and are replaced with saplings.
The threat of the area’s famously leafy appearance changing beyond recognition has worried members of the Heath and Hampstead Society so much they have formed a group of tree lovers to monitor the situation.
Chair of the Heath and Hampstead Society Tony Hillier told the New Journal that many of Hampstead’s trees were well over 100 years old and would have to be replaced in the near future.
He said: “We have to face the fact that some of our lovely avenues are going to change their look in the coming years.”
There are 10,000 trees in Camden Council many of which in the north of the borough. Tree officers survey a third of them every 12 months to look for signs of aging and decay.
Mr Hillier added: “You simply can’t replace a 100-year-old tree with another of the same height and stature.”
Society member Bruce Kohler, a former lawyer who is now working as a garden designer and lives in New End, is heading the new policy group.
He said: “We are trying to work closely with Camden Council to ensure Hampstead remains its character as a leafy place.”
Mr Kohler believes there have been two problems with the Town Hall’s tree policies: fears over claims against the council by home owners who say their properties are suffering from subsidence; and trees that may be suffering from minor fungal diseases are cut down when the risk of them falling is minimal.
The group are meeting regularly with senior Town Hall tree officers to work out they can ensure Hampstead retains its foliage.
A Town Hall spokesman said: “The council does not take lightly any decision to cut down trees and only does so when there’s no alternative.”
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