THE Waterways Service has defended the felling of what it concedes are "visually stunning" Lombardy poplars along the Rialto stretch of the Grand Canal in Dublin.
A spokesman for the service, which operates under the aegis of the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, said current tree felling was being "carried out in an integrated way as part of a planned programme".
He said one of the factors in deciding the fate of the poplars was the danger that because of their size and location at the edge of the road, they might fall, injuring pedestrians or motorists.
One local resident said it seemed that fear of compensation claims was one of the main considerations. "I think it's really sad that the only decent feature on a boring stretch of the canal is being destroyed."
The Waterways Service spokesman said the health of all trees along the circular line of the canal was examined by a consultant arboriculturist and the current tree felling programme was based on his recommendations.
The first phase was carried out in 1993, when 50 trees were felled, and a further 28 were marked down for removal in the latest phase. These included a "fair number of poplars".
"We accept the point that it looks fairly drastic," he said. "The Waterways Service is very conscious of the amenity value of trees and wishes to stress that it is drawing up a planting scheme to replace them as soon as possible."
The Grand Canal corridor study, published in 1995, noted that the circular line had "many mature deciduous trees which are a valuable ecological feature". However, it did not specifically recommend that they be preserved.
