The famous Globe Willow in Stonehouse is set to receive some dramatic tree care in the coming days. Unfortunately, the willow suffered significant damage in one of the November storms which resulted in a split on the stem opening up significantly. The tree now has a considerable lean and continues to move. Stonehouse Town Council has discussed the matter with arboricultural specialists and has decided that the best solution is to remove the majority of the tree, leaving a section at the back which will hopefully regrow. Other options were considered, such as using a combination of pruning, propping and strapping to retain more of the tree. However, following professional advice it was agreed that doing so was not the right solution in this case.
The Globe Willow was planted in 1921, partly in order to help mitigate flooding caused by the spring located beneath it. For the last few decades it has been managed through pollarding, a process in which all of the canopy is removed every two or three years. In 2021 the people of Stonehouse held a 100th birthday party for the tree as part of the launch of the Stonehouse Community Arboretum Management Plan, an innovative project which aims to turn the whole town into an arboretum. In 2024 the Stonehouse Community Arboretum received the prestigious ArbNet accreditation from the Moreton Arboretum in the USA, recognising it as an urban arboretum and acknowledging the Town Council’s approach to tree care.
‘The Stonehouse Willow tree has been a much loved and prominent feature of Stonehouse for generations, but like all things, it got old and diseased and subsequently damaged in the winter storms. The Willow holds special significance for me personally because I lived right next door to it for a few years in the early 1980’s and it has been sad to see the ravages of time take their toll. The only safe thing to do is prune the tree back to a degree whereby it might just be able to regenerate and sprout a new sibling. This solution was arrived at only after a great deal of thought and consultation with local tree specialists. We want to keep the tree’s genetics alive and will give the pruned stump time to regenerate, if possible, in order that the Stonehouse Willow can live on for future generations.’ Councillor Neil Gibb, Town Mayor.
This pruning work will undoubtedly look very severe and will understandably cause concern to residents. However, the Town Council is acting in response to a significant safety risk in a way which will be in the best interests of the tree, and the people of Stonehouse. The remaining stem will be carefully monitored and cared for in the coming years, and the timber removed from the rest of the tree will hopefully be used to produce some mementoes of the Globe Willow for the community. In addition, several genetically identical saplings taken from cuttings of the original tree are growing around Stonehouse and will be planted out when they reach a suitable size.