On the morning of 4 October, the City’s Recreation and Parks Department was informed that a Champion Tree identified as a Turkish oak (Quercus cerris) had fallen over at Arderne Gardens in Claremont.
There are currently 13 Champion Trees throughout the city. They earn their title based on criteria like size, age, beauty, cultural or historical significance and tourist attraction potential.
Champion Trees are protected under the National Forests Act of 1998. The act prohibits any harm or commercial use of these trees without appropriate licensing or exemption.
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The tree’s fall reportedly blocked Claremont Main Road, disrupting traffic flow in both directions. The incident resulted in no injuries but did damage the road’s curb and a streetlight. A combination of factors might have led to its fall, including increased rainfall, strong winds, past storms and a potential vulnerability to heart rot, a fungal ailment affecting a tree’s core.
The fallen Turkish oak, native to parts of Europe and Asia, reached 25 metres in height, with a 16-metre canopy spread and a trunk measuring 1.2 metres in diameter. While its exact planting date remains a mystery, it’s believed to have taken root in the early to mid-20th century.
The tree, estimated to be 80 to 100 years old, was likely a contribution from the Arderne family.
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Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health Councillor Patricia van der Ross commented, ‘Champion Trees enjoy protected status, and those in the city are a part of our history. Their role in the ecosystem and ensuring a healthier city is invaluable. While we are sad to see that it has succumbed to the severe weather, it will continue to benefit the garden. The wood from the fallen tree will be repurposed and reused within Arderne Gardens, ensuring that it continues to contribute to the beauty and sustainability of the garden.’
This event marks the second Champion Tree loss in two years, after the Cork Oak’s fall in 2021, bringing the garden’s total from six down to four. The remaining notable trees in Arderne Gardens are the Moreton Bay Fig, Norfolk Island Pine, Aleppo Pine and Queensland Kauri.
Champion Trees withhold protected status under the National Forests Act, 1998 (ACT NO. 84 OF 1998), as amended.
In line with the act, ‘no person may cut, disturb, damage or destroy any protected tree or possess, collect, remove, transport, export, purchase, sell, donate or in any other manner acquire or dispose of any protected tree or any forest product derived from a protected tree, except under a licence granted by the Minister or in terms of an exemption from the provisions.’
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Picture: City of Cape Town