Glamorgan spring Bay council recently had an arborist undertaking tree maintenance in Jubilee Park at Swansea to ensure the safety of park users. Jubilee Park is a very popular park and a great deal of people and families utilise this space.

During the routine maintenance works, a tree (Eucalyptus globulus) was identified by the arborist as a high safety risk to park users. This tree is located on the South-eastern side of Jubilee Park, between the old and new toilet blocks on the ocean side of the upper sealed pathway.

An arboriculture report has been submitted to Glamorgan Spring Bay Council, below are extracts from this report regarding this tree:

The assessment identifies a number of serious structural concerns including widespread fungal decay, extensive canopy dieback, included branch unions, failed wound occlusion, and early stages of hollow formation. These issues, combined with the tree’s location immediately adjacent to a busy pedestrian pathway, present a significant risk to public safety.

Structural Defects:

• Included unions are present throughout the crown. One major included union has visible bracket fungus, substantial dieback, and scar tissue that has failed to occlude. This branch overhangs the sealed pathway.
• The central union is also included and shows early stages of hollow formation, with visible scar tissue and indications of structural compromise.
• A major scaffold branch exhibits substantial bracket fungus sporophores, along with a large scar that shows at least two distinct attempts at occlusion, both of which have been unsuccessful, leaving the wound open and exposed.
• A large scar on the lower trunk has also failed to occlude, representing chronic wounding and a poor compartmentalisation response.

Canopy Condition:

• The canopy is composed of a mixture of epicormic growth and natural branching, indicating stress.
• Dieback is visible at the tops of several scaffold branches, consistent with advanced decline.
• A large amount of deadwood remains in the upper crown.
• Only deadwood directly above the footpath was removed during recent works, after it was determined that removal of the entire tree may be required. This enabled reallocation of council resources.
• Fungal Indicators: Bracket fungus (sporophores) are present on every major scaffold branch, strongly indicating internal decay and compromised structural integrity.

In the interest of community safety, removal of the tree is strongly recommended.