While experts have stated that the tree was safe, this is not what the ex Regional Director of Forestry believes.
As part of the court case the former Regional Director of Forestry, Rocha da Silva, was heard as a witness in the case of the fall of the tree that killed 13 people in Monte, in 2017.
In what was described as a long afternoon, Rocha da Silva told the court that the centennial oak had already shown “signs of giving way in 2007” and that in 1995, the tree had received specialist care. This he said was already indicating that the tree was starting to degenerate.
Rocha da Silva also pointed out that “there is a history of large trees falling” in that location, due to the gradient of the slope and the fragility of the soil.
“If I had responsibilities in this area,” he said, “that tree would have been removed a long time ago.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
