Mature macrocarpa trees at two Invercargill sites are one step closer to being removed due to safety concerns.
On Tuesday, the council’s infrastructure and growth committee met to discuss trees located near the intersections of Queens Dr and Don St, and Elles Rd and Tay St.
Severe weather on October 23 toppled a tree at the latter site, sending debris across the road.
Mayor Tom Campbell said it was lucky nobody was killed.
“Because it would not have been an injury, it would have been a death, if one of those trees had come down and hit somebody.”
Councillor Andrea de Vries said it was important to protect the trees but their retention could not be put ahead of human life.
Darren Ludlow pointed out the trees were next to key arterial routes for Southland Hospital and said extreme weather events were happening more frequently.
Marcus Lush took a different approach, saying it was easy to over-rate risk after an event, and the fact the trees had stood was a good sign.
Ultimately, councillors voted to approve a recommendation to full council that the trees be removed at the two sites and replanted to the tune of $500,000.
The other option on the table was to close roads during severe weather warnings and watches.
Video captured by What’s On Invers showed the impact of high winds in the southern city. (Source: Supplied)
How dangerous are the trees?
A November report by arboriculture consultancy Paper Street Tree Company was included in the council agenda.
In it, author Richie Hill criticised how a site at the nearby Otepuni Gardens was managed following the storm.
Hill said a focus on tree removal had overtaken consideration for remaining trees, and warned “overzealous” tree removals would be hard to defend if adequate controls were not in place.
Speaking to Local Democracy Reporting, he acknowledged macrocarpa were difficult to manage.
Councils and arborists needed to integrate robust planting plans to measure elements such as canopy growth predictions and expected tree sizes, he said.
If targets weren’t hit, they could then look at site issues, nursery stock or other conditions and adapt accordingly.
Hill said it was easy to talk about removing one tree and planting another, but it rarely happened.
“If you think around your local area how many big mature trees you see, it’s not many.”
A final decision on the removal of the trees is yet to be approved by full council.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
