PROMINENT trees in Tavistock, which were ear-marked for felling, have have been saved from the axe after a public outcry from concerned residents.
The 26 trees in the town?s two cemeteries had been singled out for the chop following a recent survey which indicated they posed a serious safety risk in high winds.
The town council had obtained quotes for the felling of the trees in question, on the grounds their insurance would be invalid in the event of a falling tree causing injury or death.
But the decision to fell the trees ? 12 in the Plymouth Road cemetery and 14 in the Dolvin Road cemetery ? has now been deferred, in response to calls to find an alternative way of eliminating the danger.
Tavistock resident Stephanie Blanchard called for further investigations into the trees at Tuesday?s full town council meeting.
She said: ?I have always lived in Tavistock, and I stand before you in great sadness about the trees coming down.
?Nothing would distress me more than if one of the trees came down and killed or maimed someone. But the trees can?t plea for themselves.
?I am particularly concerned about the trees in Dolvin Road cemetery. I want a discussion over whether they really, truly have to go. My grandparents, and three generations before them, are buried there. I go there with my grandchildren and they?re terribly distressed about this.?
Cllr Caroline Keane urged fellow councillors to postpone awarding the tender for the work until a second opinion on the state of the trees had been sought.
She said: ?There are alternatives to cutting them down and I think to act in haste and take down trees without considerable trouble being taken to visit the sites would be irresponsible.
?I also understand there are two trees which house a bat colony.?
But Cllr Betty Batchelor said she was worried about the immediate risk of a tree falling down.
?Are there any that are definitely very dangerous?? she asked. ?I?m worried that one or two might be in a very bad state.
?Perhaps they could be taken down without being included in the new report, because if anything happens, we are responsible.?
Cllr Jenny Metcalf agreed there should be a sense of urgency in felling those trees that posed the greatest threat. ?If a tree fell down and we had known it was dangerous, we could be in a lot of trouble,? she said.
It was decided a further study of the trees will be carried out by renowned tree expert Phil Tompkins, from Truro, who conducted the initial survey. A second opinion will be provided by West Devon tree surgeon Mike Woolley.
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Keane said she had rarely known an issue stir up so much emotion in the community. She said she had been approached by numerous residents expressing their concern about the trees being felled.
A Tavistock Tree Preservation Group has now been set up by local resident Brian Fyfield-Shayler, who first voiced his objection to the tree felling at a previous meeting.
Mr Fyfield-Shayler, who plans to be buried alongside his parents in the Plymouth Road cemetery, has compiled an extensive, photographic document outlining the case for saving five trees in the Dolvin Road cemetery, which he considers to be of particular importance to the Tavistock landscape.
These include a 75-foot copper beech, a 45-foot Cypress, an 18-foot Prunus and two more beeches.
It was suggested at the meeting that Mr Fyfield-Shayler accompany Mr Tompkins during his investigation, so that compromise could be more easily reached.
The inaugural meeting of the tree preservation group will be held in the subscription library, Guild Hall Square, on June 16 at 7.30pm.