Downy Birch, Priory Park
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Downy Birch, Priory Park by Ian Capper as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
![](https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/29/19/1291964_c5ca305f.jpg)
Image: © Ian Capper Taken: 4 May 2009
This Downy Birch (Betula pubescens) was the largest in the country with a recorded trunk girth of 399cm at a point 0.9m above ground level. Unfortunately this honour proved too much for it, and in February 2009 it succumbed to fungal decay and collapsed, as seen here. Although some safety work has been carried out, the local council intends to leave the trunk standing, given its importance. In any case, it still has one branch with fresh leaves, so is not yet dead. See also Image for another view and Image for a close-up of the trunk.
Image Location
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![Marker](https://streetguide.co.uk/includes/images/marker-icon-2x.png)