Please join us to support The Tree Council who are presenting to Auckland Council's Environment and Climate Change Committee tomorrow (Tuesday) morning at 10am. We will gather in the reception area outside the meeting room in the Town Hall before 9.45am.

We understand that the sale of the Canal Rd property has fallen through (again) and there are still 36 mature native trees standing on the site. We will be making a plea to Council to step in now and save the site.

Councillors will receive a presentation from staff on the results of the remote sensing LiDAR analysis of the city's tree canopy cover. It shows that less than 5% of the urban forest comprises trees greater than 15m in height.

The Canal Rd property offers a unique opportunity to retain mature native trees of significant height and age, in line with Council's Urban Ngāhere Strategy objectives.

The Council has recently met to consider its Emergency Budget which proposed disposal of $200m of Council assets. The Tree Council considers that a land swap for the Canal Rd site with one of these assets would be an appropriate way forward at zero cost to Council.

The Tree Council's Secretary Dr Mels Barton says "This would be a fantastic gift to the people of Avondale, who have been protecting these trees for the last week from the arborists sent to fell them. 10 trees of the 46 have been lost, but the rest remain standing including the rare black maire.

The Tree Council calls upon Auckland's Councillors to honour the objectives in their Urban Ngāhere Strategy and retain these trees for future generations."

© Scoop Media