Yew tree berries

Question

We have a children’s nursery and in part of the play area there is a large Yew tree which produces a lot of berries from October through to December. Is there any way we can stop the tree from producing the berries without harming the tree?

Answer 1

I understand your concern because the berries are poisonous (so are the leaves and all other parts of the yew). Unfortunately, I don’t think there is any way to stop the berry production without removing the tree.

Yew trees are either male or female, and the females only produce fruit if they are pollinated by a male nearby. So, there must be one or more male yews in your neighborhood that are pollinating your female tree. However, yews are commonly planted, so it would be very difficult or impossible to keep all pollen away.