00:00An old iconic tree that was felled beside a Toby Carvery restaurant in North London
00:05had been healthy and showed little evidence that it needed to be cut down,
00:09according to a report released by the Forestry Commission.
00:13A site inspection found no indication that the 500-year-old tree in Whitewebs Park posed any danger.
00:21Aerial and ground photographs taken before the felling in April
00:25showed it had not been overhanging the car park or any target areas,
00:30while a survey with images showing healthy foliage and new leaf growth.
00:34Mitchells and Butlers, the owner of Toby Carvery,
00:37had originally stated that contractors cut down the tree on health and safety grounds.
00:41The report stated that inspectors had also found no signs of major tree diseases
00:46and noted that the trunk had been largely intact,
00:49aside from a cavity that showed evidence of wildlife habitation.
00:52The work carried out on the ancient oak left only a high stump
00:56and removed most of the crown, the reproductive part of the tree.
01:00Dr Ed Pine, senior conservation advisor at the Woodland Trust,
01:03said that the chances of tree surviving were extremely slim.
01:07He estimated the likelihood of survival would be less than 1%.
01:11He added that he had visited the tree after the felling
01:14and had no doubt that it had been very much alive at the time.
01:18Describing the tree's historical importance,
01:20as Dr Pine said it had stood since the time of the gunpowder plot
01:23and had been an integral part of British culture,
01:26representing what he called an irreplaceable habitat.
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