Media Release
Release date: Monday 2 September 2013

Trees removed as they near end of their life

Over the next week residents may notice a number of street trees being removed.
Two Melia Trees in Grey Street outside Gisborne Motors will be removed as part of Gisborne District Council’s focus on actively managing street trees. The health of the 80 year old trees is in decline, and they are causing significant damage to property, says parks and community property manager Grahame Smail. “Trees don’t last forever and council is committed to maintaining a streetscape with healthy trees. Where trees are sick or becoming a hazard we want to remove them before they cause injury to passers-by.”

Council looks after 4700 street trees planted on the sides of roads within the city and at Wainui, Makaraka, Manutuke, Patutahi, Te Karaka and Tolaga Bay. This is in addition to thousands of trees planted in the parks throughout the district.

“Our abundance of street trees adds a unique character to the city and council wants to keep it that way. They are an important asset recorded in our tree register which keeps track of the age, species, health and expected lifespan of all street trees.”

“This will help us to identify when trees need to be replaced. We are also developing replacement guidelines for street trees. The aim is to ensure the right trees are planted in the right places. For instance the Melia trees planted in Grey Street have caused issues for business owners and passers-by for years. Melia trees drop beads and leaves four times a year. They are a large tree with an intensive root system that lifts and breaks paving causing a trip hazard. They will be replaced with trees that are not so large and do not drop as much onto our footpaths but suit the style of our city centre.”

Four palms will be removed in Heipipi Park by the Courthouse. “They were never meant to have been planted there under the original landscaping plan. One is obscuring the lights that illuminate the canoe prow (Tauihu) that was carved by Te Aturangi Nepia-Clamp in 1990.  They overshadow the iconic sculpture and are obscuring an important acknowledgement to that site. “Tauihi gives recognition to the district’s voyaging ancestors who settled our region. This is a theme that will become more apparent as we move towards 2019, 250 years since the arrival of the Endeavour. The palm trees have been planted where additional sculptures were proposed in the original landscaping plan. Their removal opens up this significant area for alignment with the Tairawhiti Navigations project,” says Mr Smail.

Four palms will also be removed in the next couple of weeks from Marina Park, alongside the river, as part of a revamp of the area. Lighting is being installed which will make the area safer and more attractive.

ENDS

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