The Cubbington pear tree is the second-largest in the country, a local landmark and was England’s tree of the year in 2015. Yet, despite years of protests, it is being felled for a railway line. It sits on the proposed phase one line of the new rail route and its being uprooted once construction begins.
The woods around it in Warwickshire have been blocked off to visitors and a sign erected warning against trespassing. The pear tree is thought to be the second-largest wild pear tree in the country and estimated to be 250 years old. It still bears fruit every year. In spring, blackcaps and chiffchaff are heard singing in the wood, with “wood anemones and a carpet of bluebells surrounding it. Despite its popularity, it is scheduled to be cut down to make way for the HS2 railway development. Once completed, the new line will link London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
Until the area was closed off, Cubbington Action Group, which was set up to protest against HS2, had been leading walks to show people the tree. Students from Shuttleworth College in Bedfordshire have taken cuttings from it, so that descendants can be created for the local churchyard, schools and villages.
Save Cubbington Wood, another protest group, set up a camp last September in an effort to protect the trees from being felled by contractors, but they were evicted in March. An HS2 spokesperson told the BBC: “Seven million new trees and shrubs will be planted as part of the HS2 programme. The new native woodlands will cover over 9 sq km of land.”
Felling was stopped temporarily because of the coronavirus pandemic, but it is due to resume in September. Sadly, the pear tree appears to be doomed.
Reference https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/aug/17/tree-of-the-week-the-beloved-250-year-old-wild-pear-being-cut-down-for-hs2#img-1
Tree Weaver 