WE HUG them, climb them, take shelter under them, plant them in commemoration of those lost, fill our city with them and need them to survive. Trees have a powerful and emotional effect on a community. And if a tree falls in Canberra, everyone is listening.
The ACT Government's decision yesterday to temporarily ban any tree removal in the urban south reflects the considerable concern shown by Canberra citizens over the fate of the capital's suburban trees.
Stories of great, historic trees felled for apparently no reason, of opposition to planned removals in older suburbs, of ring-barking, of red spots painted on what seem like good specimens, or of trees dying through neglect in our harsh climate has created divisions, fear, confusion and anger in Canberra the so-named bush capital.
Residents are on the war path: questioning every nick or cut. People who held senior roles in managing and planning Canberra now speak out against the Government's Urban Forest Removal Program.
Is it mere hysteria, or do we need to revisit the culling of our trees?
Canberra's urban forest is the largest in Australia that must be maintained by one government. It includes more than one million trees of more than 300 different species. That's just the urban forest. One of the biggest issues surrounding this maintenance is the perception that trees are often removed because of some ulterior motive: a development plan, for example, or because the funds simply don't exist to maintain the older trees in our climate.
The Department of Territories and Municipal Services website has a comprehensive and open list of trees, there for all to see. But the thought of 29 majestic trees in Miller Street, O'Connor, and another 17 on the median strip of Macarthur Avenue getting the chop, or of 31 trees in Yarralumla, to name but a few examples, can be distressing. It will dramatically alter the landscape, a devastating practice to the untrained eye, leading residents to question the motivation.
A tree that endangers roads, homes and pedestrians must be removed. But too many anecdotal reports of healthy trees being felled or of replacement saplings withering and dying from neglect within a year has destroyed community trust.
The problem will escalate unless the Government reclaims that trust. A good website doesn't always reach those who need the information. Consultation must be improved and targeted well before planned tree removal.
The Government must better protect healthy trees and tighten communication between agencies and developers to ensure a sensible tree removal program is viable.
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