TREE surgeons return to remove more trees at the historic Beech Avenue on the Kingston Lacy estate near Wimborne on Monday.

The iconic avenue of more than 700 trees was planted in 1835 by former owner William John Bankes as a tribute to his mother, Frances.

But of the 731 planted – representing each day of a normal year and a leap year – fewer than 500 remain, with pollution and age contributing to their decay.

Nigel Chalk, gardens and countryside manager for the National Trust, said: “We know how much people love Beech Avenue.

“The National Trust has a commitment to manage the avenue, but unfortunately we have no choice but to remove some of these trees.”

He blamed stress from constant traffic on the B3082 Blandford to Wimborne road and fungi for the trees’ decline.

Some 21 beeches were felled in 2008 and diseased limbs have been removed from a further 160 trees in a programme of work expected to last a further 30 years.

The National Trust is replacing the beech trees with Hornbeam in a bid to preserve the avenue’s principal features.

“Hornbeams will provide the same seasonal colour and shape of avenue as beech but they are much more tolerant of these constantly changing conditions,” he said.

“It is one way in which we can help to maintain the legacy of the Beech Avenue.”

Wimborne-based tree expert John Christopher agreed with the removal of some of the trees, highlighting potential danger to passing motorists.

He said he had recently seen fungus on the trees, is often the final indication of fatal infection.

He added the trees were reaching the end of a life cycle of about 200 years, and said their pollarded shape placed greater strain on the trees’ structure.