Like many residents I was shocked and distressed when I saw the Lombardy poplars on the Alders Drive/Warwick Highway roundabout being felled.

However, after talking to the council officers concerned it was clear that the council had just two options – drastic thinning or total replacement.

Lombardy poplars are not longlived and many of the ones on the island had suffered from their poor environment and the closeness of the traffic. A number were in danger of collapsing on to the highway, possibly causing accidents, while many others were on their way to serious decay. Just removing the seriously decayed and decaying trees would have left a sad remnant of the original planting.

A re-planting scheme is well advanced. This autumn should see the planting of a large group of mainly native trees with a longer life expectancy.

The idea is to provide varied interest throughout the year, and the trees will be planted well back from the carriageway, for their health and the safety of road users. It is also planned to plant bulbs such as crocuses and daffodils in the grass area between the trees and the carriageway, which would provide early colour.

The poplars will be sadly missed this summer during the island’s bare period, but as trees age, regeneration, either natural or planned, is the only option.

Councillor Antonia Pulsford