A huge elm near the cemetery in Hooge Mierde was destroyed with a chainsaw on Wednesday. The damage to the tree is irreparable. The municipality therefore had no choice but to lift the tree immediately on Thursday. The culprit is being sought, the municipality said on Twitter.
The tree was cut with a chainsaw at a height of about one meter. A deep saw cut has been made around the trunk. “As a result, the elm is no longer viable and can pose a danger in wind. It is now cut down out of necessity,” the municipality writes.
Logging permit
The destroyed tree is on the corner of the Averbodelaan and Floreffestraat. There is also the cemetery. Some relatives had a nuisance from the tree when maintaining a grave. The constant bird droppings on the graves in particular were a source of annoyance.
Relatives applied for a felling permit. B and W wanted to cooperate, but there were objections to this. “The procedure has not yet been completed,” the municipality said.
The resident of the house closest to the tree had to hear from a journalist that the tree was destroyed.
“I saw the men from the municipality at work and thought they were just pruning. I’m not home that often, so I hadn’t noticed it yet. I do know that people have complained about the tree. I myself have It doesn’t bother me and I think it’s a shame if it gets cut down.” He thinks that the perpetrators in the village will soon be known.
Surprise
Who destroyed the tree and why is not known. The municipality has filed a report. “An investigation is now underway. We take the matter seriously and are doing everything we can to find the perpetrator. Everyone is very surprised that someone does something like this. How on earth can you do this,” said the information officer.
The municipality does not know whether a new tree will return to the site of the elm. “According to the green ordinance of the municipality, we replace two new trees for every felled tree. We have yet to see where they will be,” said the information officer.