Large tree collapses on UWI walkway amid high winds

AMID a high wind alert that comes after the discontinuation of this week's adverse weather alert, a massive tree has collapsed on the UWI campus partially collapsing a walkway.

Staff said nobody was harmed when the tree fell a little after lunchtime on June 13.

One staff member, who did not wish to be identified, expressed serious concern considering the campus is home to dozens of large, aged trees.

"This can happen at any time. And we're not too sure of the health of the trees that we have."

He noted the tree's lack of a top root system which would usually consist of large, central vertical roots.

"The top root is usually what anchors the trees and there's always going to be concern if trees lose them like this."

He said although the softening of the soil due to high levels of rain and the increased wind were factors in the tree collapsing, other factors could have also been involved.

He said previous undetected damage to and subsequent weakening of the root system could have led to the incident.

Additionally, he said if the tree was propagated using the vegetative method, where new plants are grown from parts like stems and roots rather than seeds, a weak root system could have been formed as a result.

While technology does exist to monitor the health of trees, he noted a lack of such in the region.

"It's not very big here in the Caribbean. But it's something we need to invest in to really understand what's happening in our landscape and prevent something like this that could lead to death."

An alert from the TT Meteorological Service (TTMS) issued at 10.15am on June 13, said strong low-level winds would produce breezy to windy conditions over the next several days with a high potential for gusts exceeding 55 km/h, especially in the vicinity of showers.

The gusts may be brief but strong enough to displace unsecured roofs, loose outdoor items and can even topple trees or weak structures.

The TTMS said sea conditions were also expected to become additionally agitated and might disrupt marine activities.