A man from a Bucks town has shared drone images of a 300-year-old tree that will be cut down by the local council next month.
James Gray, a Search Technician at the Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service who lives in Marlow, posted drone shots of a 300-year-old London Plane tree in Pound Lane car park in the Marlow Life Facebook group.
He captioned the shots of the historic specimen, which is slated for felling by Buckinghamshire Council: "This tree dominates the landscape. It will be a shame to lose it."
The tree caught fire on the evening of Thursday, August 17, prompting the local council to temporarily close part of the car park and the adjoining road before later announcing that a felling operation would necessitate the closure to remain in place until mid-September.
Despite an early inference from Buckinghamshire Council that the fire was linked to "anti-social behaviour", a spokesperson for the Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said it had not been referred to Thames Valley Police and was logged as accidental.
Steven Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport, said the decision to cut the 300-year-old tree down had been taken after consultations with specialists indicated that it was a "risk to public safety".
READ MORE: Thames Water chops down tree as part of ongoing works in Bucks town
He said the tree had already been in a state of "managed decline" and was the subject of regular testing and monitoring before the fire due to its fungal decay and a large, visible cavity in its stem.
He added that the removal of the tree would be a "significant operation", requiring the presence of a large crane, a number of safety workers and the switching off of nearby power lines.
Michael New OBE, a longtime resident and trustee of The Marlow Society, previously told the Free Press that the tree would be joining other "heritage" specimens that had been lost to felling in recent months.
He said: "This spectacular tree is one of the largest in Higginson Park. It is next to the original gatehouse of Court Garden and on the edge of Pound Lane.
"The base of the trunk has been partially hollow, but safe, for as long as I can remember, or at least since 1967.
"Two other magnificent specimens were recently felled in St Peter Street and applications to fell others are extant.
"Our urban trees are generally threatened."
The felling works are expected to be completed by mid-September, at which point the section of Pound Lane and its adjoining car park will re-open to the public.
Mr Broadbent said the council would plant a replacement tree in a nearby location over the autumn or winter months.
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