Carnoustie’s historic Dibble Tree has been saved from being lost forever after destruction at the hands of Storm Gerrit.
The Angus town’s origins are rooted in the 227-year-old willow just off the high street.
Founding father Tammas Louson is said to have left his gardening dibble in the ground while cultivating land in 1797.
The willow implement took root and it was from that site which Carnoustie grew.
In the intervening centuries the specimen has become a burgh symbol – and given its name to the town theatre next door.
There was devastation at the sorry sight which met locals when Storm Gerrit lashed Courier country in late December.
And that led to fears the badly damaged tree might have to be completely axed.
Pollarding operation
Those have been allayed after tree surgeons were at the site on Thursday cutting away the collapsed limbs.
The willow required to be heavily pollarded and is a shadow of its former arboreal glory.
But there are hopes the protected tree will remain a living symbol of Carnoustie.
Newport-based Tay Tree Surgery carried out the operation after Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee put up cash for the work from their community benefit fund.
Tree surgeon Jan Coggins said the storm had exposed serious rot in the centuries-old willow.
“There’s a huge amount of decay in the middle of the tree,” he said.
“The remaining third is very unbalanced so there is obviously a worry with the level of decay.
“Wind-blown trees are the most dangerous for us to deal with.
“The safest thing is to pollard the tree to completely remove the upper boughs which could fall.
“Because it’s a willow it will re-grow.”
Limbs salvaged for creative projects
And he revealed Louson’s original act of planting a twig in the ground may be repeated across 21st century Carnoustie.
People were at the site to take small branches which they hope to propagate.
“There are no guarantees but it is good that people care about the willow so much,” Jan added.
In the late 1990s, cuttings were taken from the Dibble Tree and planted in the grounds of nearby sheltered housing.
Carnoustie Men’s Shed and Colourful Carnoustie have taken some of the limbs and hope those may perhaps be turned or used for posterity in other creative ways.
An information board was put in place by Colourful Carnoustie at the Ferrier Street site in 2017.
It charts the town history, from when Louson snapped up open land between Easthaven and Barry.
He is said to have left the dibble in the soil whilst planting potatoes and the quick-growing willow took root.
Carnoustie takes its name from the ‘craw’s noustie’ or crow’s nest of the birds which made it their home.
For generations the Louson – later Lowson – family lived in the nearby cottage he built.
Those included his great-great-grandson David Lowson, who died last year at the age of 102.
Conversation