These photos show just some of the many trees at Mountsfield Park and other Lewisham parks that are dead or dying mainly due to strimmer and mower damage by Lewisham Council and their parks and open spaces contractor. Severe soil compaction due to vehicular traffic and also drought are also factors contributing to the demise of many of the trees in Lewisham’s parks and open spaces.
Careless strimmer / brush cutter damage at base of birch tree in Mountsfield Park play area July 2019. This birch tree was planted to replace a tree that died due to strimmer/brush cutter damage. 
Mountsfield Park April 2019 – fresh and historic careless strimmer damage 
Strimmer damage – Mountsfield Park April 2019 
Historic tree stem strimmer damage at Mountsfield Park 
Mountsfield Park play area 2017 – recently planted semi-mature birch tree bought with Lewisham Section 106 funds, dead because of strimmer damage causing ring-barking or girdling. 
Manor House Gardens, Lewisham April 2019 – fresh strimmer damage which could introduce fungal disease within the damaged cambium layer. 
Recurring strimmer / brush cutter tree stem damage at Mountsfield Park April 2019 
Strimmer damage – Mountsfield Park April 2019 
Mountsfield Park April 2019 – Historic flowering cherry root damage due to mower blades set too low. Flowering cherries are susceptible to disease and should be protected from injury. 
Strimmer damage to base of dying Tilia tomentosa at Mountsfield Park July 2019 
Hilly Fields, Lewisham April 2019 no grass mowing or strimming allowed near to tree stem to avoid damage to surface roots and bark. By agreement with Friends of Hilly Fields, Lewisham parks officers and the parks and open spaces contractor, Glendale. 
Mountsfield Park nature reserve 2017 – Felled Indian bean tree. This tree like many other trees that have died at Mountsfield Park have not been replaced with newly planted trees. 
Strimmer damage on newly planted tree Beckenham Place Park Feb 2019 
Historic strimmer / brush cutter damage at base of ash tree allowing entry point for fungal infection at Mountsfield Park 2018 
Dead tree stump at Mountsfield Park – died prematurely due to historic strimmer and mower damage 2017 
Dead tree at Mountsfield Park 2017. Died prematurely due to mower and strimmer damage 2017 
Mower damage to a hornbeam at Mountsfield Park caused by inappropriate frequent use of mower at base of tree 2018 
Hilly Fields, Lewisham April 2019 – historic strimmer damage which will shorten the lifespan of this mature tree. 
Careless strimmer damage Mountsfield Park Play area 2018 
Recently planted semi mature maple at Mountsfield Park play area – dying because of careless strimmer damage which is causing ring-barking or girdling 2017 
Dead avenue tree at Mountsfield Park near the Brownhill Road entrance. Died prematurely due to historic mower and strimmer damage. 
Tree stump near Mountsfield Park community garden – premature death due to mower damage 2017. Contractor mower blades set much too low within proximity to tree stem, causing injury to surface roots and entry for harmful fungal infection. 
Dead tree at Mountsfield Park that died prematurely due to strimmer damage. 
Mountsfield Park April 2019 – historic strimmer damage 
Large-leaved Lime (Tilia platyphyllos) encased in wire mesh at Forster Memorial Park 2020 
Catastrophic strimmer damage to newly planted tree at Rushey Green
The Lewisham Council parks and open space managers instruct the landscape contractor to keep grass short right up to the base of each tree for a tidy appearance and because it is part of the current Lewisham contract specification. Unfortunately the Lewisham parks and open spaces contractor does not have sufficient capacity, training or resources to achieve a short grass sward next to trees without harming them. The strimmer and mower damage shown below will cause a tree to die quickly or slowly through introduction of disease via cuts and wounds.
Lewisham Council encourages external funding sought by volunteers for new and replacement tree planting eg from London tree and woodland awards, to make London greener, biodiverse, healthier, cleaner, more welcoming and more resilient. The future of existing and newly planted trees in Lewisham’s Parks and open spaces is uncertain if Lewisham Council continues to insist on short neatly cut grass up to the base of each parkland tree. At Hilly Fields park, Lewisham Council has recently experimented with mower and strimmer prohibition near to trees, which has effectively reduced further tree damage there. This approach should be applied by Lewisham’s green space officers and parks staff across the borough to protect trees, unless the Council is willing to invest in a more controlled, better resourced and skilled maintenance of our parks and open spaces.
References: 1. Arboriculture Research Note 1992. Issued by the Arboricultural Advisory & Information Service. Blight to trees caused by vegetation control machinery. D Patch, A Denyer. 2. Arboricultural Journal 2018 vol 40. Effects of strimmer damage to young ash trees. Sally A Shuck and Duncan Slater. 3. Tree Wounds – Invitations to Wood Decay Fungi 2018. Nicole Ward Gauthier, William E. Fountain, Traci Missun. University of Kentucky.
