It could have been a lot worse.

A large poinciana tree, estimated to be around 40 years old, came down on March 1 outside Grafton Infants School.

While the incident occurred outside of school hours, and no structural damage was reported, Mike Gorrie, a local retired civil engineer (who alerted the CV Independent to the incident) said the situation could have been disastrous.

“It had three leaders, and three major branches growing in different directions, and when it rained, water accumulated on top of the trunk which caused a lot of wet and dry rot, and when it became too heavy the whole tree came down.

“Poinciana trees have very soft timber and are a very poor-quality tree.

Mr Gorrie is strongly urging people to be aware of the potential hazards caused by large trees and is advocating for regular inspections to take place.