Protected trees pose safety risk to Bay traffic

Eighteen protected pohutukawa trees along Turret Rd have grown to a point where their limbs are encroaching into the road zone, creating a serious safety risk for traffic.

None of the trees need to be completely removed but they do need to be pruned back above the legal height (4.25m).

The pruning work will be done Thursday. The work is not expected to put the trees at long-term risk.

A regular maintenance inspection has alerted Council to this situation.

The pruning is being undertaken as emergency works.

Pohutukawa limbs can have a habit of dropping over a period of weeks without failing completely.

All street trees are inspected every six months so this subsidence has happened since the last inspection.

For more information please contact Richard Conning, city arborist at Tauranga City Council.