Arboricultural specialists donned life vests this month in order to dismantle an uprooted oak tree that had got stuck under a bridge in the Surrey village of Brockham.
The large tree had been uprooted during a storm and had been stuck under the bridge since late June. Glendale worked alongside The Environment Agency and Surrey County Council to dismantle the tree which was presenting a potential flood risk.
Due to the scale of the operation, a traffic management team was called in to close the road so that Glendale’s arborists could have full access to the bridge during the dismantling.
The project required several of the arboricultural specialists to get into the water alongside the partly submerged tree. To ensure their safety they wore life vests and chest waders and were secured to a safety line at all times. They also tested the depth of the water and the stability of the river bed with a prodding stick prior to commencing any work.
The tree was dismantled in sections and each segment was secured with chains to a 26-ton grab lorry situated on the bridge. After fully completing each cut the arborists in the water moved to a safe distance so that the timber could be lifted safely onto the lorry.
Phil Hyatt, contract manager at Glendale’s Surrey Arb contract, comments:“This was not your everyday tree dismantle but it wasn’t anything that the team couldn’t handle. They worked quickly, efficiently, and most importantly, safely, to ensure that the flow of the river returned to normal and no damage was caused to the structure of the bridge.
“I am delighted with the professionalism and expertise of my team and we received some excellent feedback from our client who was very pleased with the way the job was carried out. We have also heard that Brockham Green Nursery’s annual duck race was due to be cancelled because the tree was blocking the race route, but we managed to step in just in time and the race is now going ahead, much to the delight of the local community.”
Nick Brooks, assistant regional director for the South East, adds: “This is yet another example of an excellent piece of planning and execution from Phil’s Surrey Arb team. Their ‘can do’ attitude is often called upon by our clients and this job further demonstrates our capacity as leading arboricultural professionals in the South East.”
Leading a greener future