A chara, - Duchas The Heritage Service has noted the concern expressed by Stephen W. Doak (July 21st) at the recent felling of a chestnut tree in the Phoenix Park. The tree in question was felled by its officials in the interests of public safety. Due to its proximity to the hospitality tent which had been erected in conjunction with the Tour de France and the possibility of high winds in the immediate future, it was decided that there was no alternative but to cut the chestnut down.
This action should be viewed in the following context: up to 750 trees line the relevant avenue and as part of the on-going tree management programme in the Phoenix Park it is envisaged that up to 50 of these trees will be felled over the next few years, for a variety of reasons, not least of these being public safety. Chestnut trees are particularly prone to having their branches blown down: the falling of branches unfortunately can lead to the harming of humans. The park management is proud of its achievements in the area of tree conservation over the years and is happy to allay the justifiable concern which has been shown over the felling of this one chestnut tree.
The official name of the main road, incidentally, is Chesterfield Avenue. Recent visitors to the park will have noticed this avenue bedecked with large banners: these are designed to commemorate the opening to the public of the Phoenix Park by the great, green-fingered Lord Chesterfield 250 years ago.
Irish people in general and Dubliners in particular have grown up in the benign shade of that hoary old chestnut which attests that the Phoenix Park is the largest urban park in all of Europe. While Duchas The Heritage Service is cautious about lending credence to this particular urban myth which enjoys a peculiarly rural context, it is keen that the glorious myth which Lord Chesterfield designed should not be missed.
To facilitate the current celebrations, Duchas The Heritage Service and Bus Atha Cliath have subtly made it their business to provide a transport service involving a shuttle which plies to and from the superbly appointed visitor centre, located hard by the Phoenix Monument. Hopefully, as this hop-on, hop-off service becomes more popular, it will enable more people to appreciate that Lord Chesterfield and the current park management are at one with both Joyce Kilmer when he opined and Paul Robeson when he sang that neither had ever seen "a poem lovely as a tree". - Is mise, Diarmaid Mac Daibheid, Press Office, Duchas The Heritage Service,
St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2.