Dudley Council has been working with the Friends of Saltwells Nature Reserve to preserve the life of what is known to locals as the wishing tree, a western red cedar.

The 200-year-old tree sits on the piece of land at Saltwells National Nature Reserve, which came back into the council’s ownership earlier this year.

The tree had sustained damage over recent years and also suffered from a number of arson attacks.

To prevent the tree sustaining any further damage, weakening, or even dying, the council has reduced the size of the canopy by cutting it back by one third. Councillor Shaz Saleem, cabinet member for highways and public realm, said:

"The world’s oldest red cedar is more than 1,400 years old, so our tree is still very young in comparison.

"We know this is a special tree for locals and we want to do all we can to protect it for as long as possible. By reducing the tree by one third, it does change the look of the tree, but was essential to protect the parts of the tree, which had the greatest chance of survival.

"Thanks as ever to the friends of the reserve for supporting the council in this piece of work."