The ACT government is looking at using hundreds of felled trees from Northbourne Avenue for public art, river "re-snagging", playground mulch and other projects.
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The felling of 358 trees from the Northbourne Avenue median strip has begun to make way for the tram line.
In about a year's time, the light rail consortium will begin planting replacement Eucalyptus mannifera trees, which are being grown to about 4m at the Yarralumla nursery before they are planted.
Meantime, the government is deciding what to do with the trees being removed, most of which are Eucalyptus elata, or river peppermint trees, planted more than 30 years ago in the 1980s.
As they're felled, their branches are being stripped off and chipped, and suitable trunks are being stockpiled in the government depot at Mitchell.
Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris said the government and the light rail consortium were looking to reuse the trees where possible and had been talking with community groups.
The trees were not resistant to rot in wet environments, limiting their use. And the Eucalyptus elata was not suitable for woodworking given its propensity to crack as it dries.
But the government was looking at leaving trunks intact for street and park furniture, and mulching them.
Options were:
- Woodlands restoration at Mount Majura, Mulligan's Flat and elsewhere
- Re-snagging in rivers, depending which might be suitable; snags - usually from trees on the river bank falling in or dropping their branches - were important habitat for native fish
- Logs at urban wetlands for animal habitats
- Mulch and logs for schools and child care centres
- Public art along the tram route and elsewhere
- Mulch for government use and the botanic gardens
A transport directorate spokesperson said Canberra Metro would confirm the options for the trees once they had been felled and assessed. The government was keen to hear from people with ideas.
Sculptor Paul Jamieson said he had spoken with the government about using some of the trees for furniture along the light rail route. While Eucalyptus elata was "not the most durable" timber it was certainly usable, he said.
"It's just a great opportunity to reuse the material and it put it back where it came from, to signify that they were the trees that came from the site," he said.
But Thor Diesendorf, from Thor's Hammer, said it was not very good timber. It was "unstable" and split when dried. The Northbourne trees had been extensively watered to keep the centre strip green and had grown fast, he said.
He had suggested some experimentation of kiln drying or other drying techniques to test options for reusing it, but the reuse was not economically viable. Economically, the only real option was to use it for mulch.
Trees have already been removed from the Mitchell depot and from Northbourne where they were judged diseased or dangerous. The first phase of major tree removal began last week. It sees the removal of the outside row of trees on the Northbourne median strip, with the inside row to be removed from January.
The government says 358 trees are to be removed between Alinga and Antill streets.
The Northbourne median strip will be replanted with Eucalyptus mannifera, or brittle gum. Other species to be used elsewhere in the corridor are Zelkova serrata, Eucalyptus dives, Eucalyptus stellulata, Eucalyptus bridgesiana, Eucalyptus melliodora, Eucalyptus polyanthemos, Casuarina cunninghamiana and Quercus palustris.
A transport directorate spokesperson said overall, there would be more trees at the end of the project than now.
