IT’S caused a few jokes around the parish, but two appropriately named Trees of Heaven at All Saints’ Church vicarage, in Bell Lane, Thelwall have been felled after being found to be “inappropriate.”
The trees got the chop – despite being in a conservation area – after planning consent was obtained from Warrington Borough Council.
They will be replaced by a more appropriate native species – although the vicar, the Rev Douglas Black, says no decision has been made yet.
He said: “They were beginning to cause problems. They were quite high and could have damaged a wall. The tree surgeon advised they were becoming a problem so the diocese decided they had to go. It has caused a few jokes around the parish but in addition to their size they also had quite a pungent smell in the spring.”
In fact, All Saints vicarage is by no means the first property to have problems with the Tree of Heaven – or to give it the botanical name, Ailanthus altissima.
It gets its heavenly nickname from its ability to grow rapidly to heights of 80 feet or more and it is spreading alarmingly across the country. According to experts, it poses a threat to plant health and biodiversity in Britain.
It was first brought to this country from its native China in 1751 but botanists now fear climate change, with increasingly warm summers and frost-free winters, could lead to it becoming an environmental pest.
Ailanthus altissima leaks toxins into the ground which prevent the germination and establishment of other species in its vicinity. It is very tolerant of pollution and soil disturbance and very much at home in an urban habitat.
Gardeners are advised to get rid of it if appears on their patch, but unfortunately it is also fiercely resistant to human intervention and will respond to cutting by throwing out underground suckers which can damage pavements, drainage systems and building foundations. All parts of the tree produce a nauseating odour – leading to its other nickname “Stink Tree.”
It is not just a problem in this country. It is included in the top 25 alien invasive plants listed by the European Plant Protection Organisation as posing “an important threat to plant health, environment and biodiversity”.
So despite its name, the Tree of Heaven could turn out to be hell on earth.
